Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment最新文献

{"title":"Time-dependent mechanical effects of tall fescue and lucerne roots on interface layers of ecological slopes in the loess region","authors":"Juntian Wang,&nbsp;Xinzhe Liu,&nbsp;Han Bao,&nbsp;Geng Wang,&nbsp;Qi Dong,&nbsp;Changgen Yan,&nbsp;Hengxing Lan","doi":"10.1007/s10064-026-05276-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10064-026-05276-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Plant roots significantly reinforce the substrate–soil interface, a key weak zone controlling shallow slope stability. However, the temporal evolution and species-dependent mechanisms remain insufficiently quantified. This study compares fibrous rooted tall fescue (<i>Festuca arundinacea</i>) and taprooted lucerne (<i>Medicago sativa L.</i>) over a 20 week growth period under water contents of 10–25%. Direct shear and tensile tests were conducted to evaluate interface mechanical behavior, together with analyses of root morphology and failure modes. Results show distinct reinforcement patterns between species. Tall fescue provides stronger early stage reinforcement before Week 9 due to rapid development of dense fibrous roots, resulting in higher initial shear strength and apparent cohesion. In contrast, lucerne exhibits delayed but sustained reinforcement after Week 12, with continuous increases in tensile strength, residual strength, and cohesion driven by taproot thickening and lignification. Compared with the control, vegetated soils show significantly enhanced shear and tensile resistance, while lucerne retains over 40% residual tensile strength after peak failure. Water content weakens root soil bonding and reduces interface strength, shifting failure from breakage to slippage dominated, especially in tall fescue. Increased axial pressure enhances compaction and root–soil interaction, promoting shear dominated failure. Predictive models incorporating root area ratio (<i>RAR</i>), growth age, and water content quantify the evolution of apparent cohesion and friction angle for both species. Overall, tall fescue is suitable for rapid short term stabilization, whereas lucerne provides superior long-term reinforcement. These relationships offer a quantitative framework for vegetation induced reinforcement in slope stability and ecological restoration design.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":500,"journal":{"name":"Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment","volume":"85 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148838126","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of the thickness of overlying soil on the location of trailing edge cracks in soil–bedrock landslides induced by water softening","authors":"Yun-kang Rao,&nbsp;Jia-xin Chang,&nbsp;Hai-ying Fu,&nbsp;Tao Yang,&nbsp;Huai-lin Chen,&nbsp;Zhe Zhang,&nbsp;Yi Yang,&nbsp;Rui Huang","doi":"10.1007/s10064-026-05281-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10064-026-05281-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This research aimed to investigate the effect of the thickness of overlying soil on the location of trailing edge cracks (TECs) in soil–bedrock landslides induced by water softening. Eleven laboratory slope experiments were conducted to reproduce the TECs of such landslides, with different thicknesses of overlying soil designed. Based on the analysis of the experimental results, a theoretical model was proposed and used to locate TECs of eleven laboratory landslides and two real landslides. The experimental results show that the inclinations of the eleven laboratory TECs vary widely from 63.9° to 81.1°. The TEC inclination tends to decrease as the thickness of overlying soil layer increases. This may occur because the proportion of tensile failure within the entire TEC surface decreases, while the proportion of shear failure increases as the soil thickness increases. The theoretical model is established by formulating segmented integral equations for the slip surface, which is composed of a gentle basal shear surface first formed and a steep TEC surface finally formed. The TEC surface is considered to experience tension and shear failure at locations near and away from the slope face, respectively. The solution to the normal stress distributions along the basal shear surface and TEC surface is crucial for establishing the theoretical model. The TEC locations obtained by the theoretical model are generally consistent with the measured or published locations of all laboratory or real TECs. This study improves our understanding of the formation mechanism of the TEC and helps accurately locate the TEC.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":500,"journal":{"name":"Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment","volume":"85 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148838043","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synergistic effect of xanthan gum and crosslinker to stabilize sand under saturated conditions using triaxial tests","authors":"Min Yao,&nbsp;Benhui Fan,&nbsp;Fernando Lopez-Caballero,&nbsp;Jean-Marie Fleureau","doi":"10.1007/s10064-026-05283-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10064-026-05283-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Biopolymer-based soil treatment (BPST) has gained recognition for its environmental benefits and effectiveness in soil stabilization. Xanthan gum (XG) is one of the most widely studied binders. Many studies have shown that blending XG with soil can enhance soil strength. However, most existing research focused on dry or compacted (wet) conditions, overlooking critical scenarios such as soil saturation during flooding, where XG performance deteriorates due to its high-water solubility. To supplement the information from previous studies, this paper introduces 3 major novelties: (1) The use of saturated samples, representing the most unfavourable conditions, and increasingly realistic conditions for embankments subjected to harsh rains and floods in the framework of climate changes, (2) The use of consolidated drained triaxial tests, allowing a precise control of the sample saturation and mechanical effective stress path, and the determination of the constitutive law, (3) The use of several crosslinking methods to reinforce the strength of XG, unsuitable to be used alone under saturated conditions. The mechanical results showed that guar and aluminum sulfate are effective crosslinkers, significantly enhancing the mechanical properties of both saturated coarse and fine sands. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the formation of new bonds between XG and the crosslinkers. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed a three-dimensional polymeric network providing enhanced interparticle interactions. These findings highlight the potential of the crosslinked XG as a sustainable and effective stabilizer for submerged soils, making it highly relevant for geotechnical applications such as road and embankment construction.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":500,"journal":{"name":"Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment","volume":"85 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148838347","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Hydrodynamic characteristics of wetting water-front evolution in an air-saturated sandstone fracture considering wall roughness and matrix imbibition","authors":"Chuanlong Dong,&nbsp;Junhao Mai,&nbsp;Zhihu Li,&nbsp;Xiaosheng He,&nbsp;Hongmin Cheng","doi":"10.1007/s10064-026-05264-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10064-026-05264-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Available from engineering geology, it is difficult to quantify the unsaturated seepage interactions between a fracture and the matrix. Therefore, a modified piecewise evolution model with a fractal time exponent analytically deriving the coupling influence of the wetting matrix and wall roughness was established by using the unsaturated Darcy law and fractal geometry. The wetting evolution of the matrix and a fracture of various sandstones with ultralow, low and high permeabilities was experimentally investigated via neutron imaging, verifying the models’ validity. The wetting evolution processes of mode Ⅰ and Ⅱ fractures present three stages with the time exponents of 1/<i>D</i>_r, 1/2<i>D</i>_r and 1/<i>D</i>_r, respectively. The average roughness fractal dimensions for ultralow, low and high permeable sandstones are predicted as 2.138, 2.000 and 2.468, respectively. With the increasing matrix permeability and wall roughness, the duration of the first and second stages can be decreased, and the unsaturated fracture flow mainly occurs in the third stage. The horizontal moisture diffusion in a fracture into the matrix satisfies the square root of time and generally indicates zonal wetting characteristics. The lateral sorptivity coefficients are not related to the zonal area. These respective average sorptivity coefficients of matrix are 0.4159 mm/s^0.5, 0.4864 mm/s^0.5 and 2.983 mm/s^0.5 for ultralow, low and high permeable sandstones. The fracture wall roughness contributes to the lateral water diffusion from a fracture into matrix. According to the predicted different fractal dimensions in three evolution stages, the sandstone heterogeneity can cause spatial differences of mode Ⅰ fractures.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":500,"journal":{"name":"Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment","volume":"85 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148837464","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mechanism and kinetics of catastrophic landslide triggered by mining and rainfall at Chupitian Village, Guizhou, China, June 10, 2021","authors":"Longqi Li,&nbsp;Tianyi Zhou,&nbsp;Qian He,&nbsp;Yunhuang Yang,&nbsp;Enlong Liu,&nbsp;Yadong Wu","doi":"10.1007/s10064-026-05289-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10064-026-05289-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Intense rainfall and massive mining are two main triggers for geohazards in some mountain areas worldwide, especially in southwest China. Affected by these two factors, on June 10, 2021, around 20:30 (Beijing time), a catastrophic rapid landslide occurred at Chupitian Village, Xingren City, Guizhou Province, resulting in 3 fatalities and 18 houses destroyed. This study presents a comprehensive investigation involving UAV photogrammetry, field surveys, SBAS-InSAR time-series analysis, and Massflow numerical simulations to elucidate the morphological characteristics, failure mechanism and kinetic features of this landslide. The results show that the landslide failure process comprised three stages of “avalanche accumulation-landslide creep-rapid transportation”, ultimately forming a typical tongue-shaped landform. The SBAS-InSAR imaging also indicated that the landslide creep process presents an alternative squeezing–traction pattern due to the action of the upper avalanche and rainfall before the entire landslide runout. Based on the movement and accumulation characteristics, this landslide is divided into three zones: the sliding source zone, the transition-scouring zone, and the landslide accumulation zone. At the transition-scouring zone, numerical modeling indicates a maximum velocity of 31 m/s and an average velocity of 13.5 m/s for the landslide body, which results in a long landslide distance and house destruction in the landslide accumulation zone. Moreover, a prediction model on maximum landslide distance based on GBRT machine learning is constructed and the sensitivity analysis is also conducted using SHAP method. This study demonstrates the integrated strengths of geological surveys, remote sensing monitoring, and numerical analysis, offering significant theoretical support for landslide disaster mitigation efforts in similar geological settings.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":500,"journal":{"name":"Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment","volume":"85 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148837465","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Study on the influence of moisture content on the thixotropy and phase transition of loess","authors":"Xingang Wang,&nbsp;Daozheng Wang,&nbsp;Qiangbing Huang,&nbsp;Baoqin Lian","doi":"10.1007/s10064-026-05291-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10064-026-05291-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Flow-like events significant threats to ecosystems and human life and property because of their suddenness, high speed and long distances. To study the continuous reactivation mechanism of redeposited loess, we conducted a series of rheological tests, and the results showed that the three-interval thixotropy test (3ITT) effectively captures the evolution of rheological behavior before, during, and after solid–liquid–solid phase transition. Higher moisture content was found to prolong the recovery time and enhance thixotropic strength, and recovery time for Baoji loess increased from 114 s at water content 32% to 336 s at 50%. The reduction and recovery of the viscoelastic modulus control the phase retransition process. Increasing the volume fraction from 0.48 to 0.57 raised the particle fractal dimension by 41%, promoting liquid-to-solid transition. A new dual-parameter criterion based on shear stress and strain was established: the critical shear strain for fluidization ranged from 200% to 2000%, well described by a power-law model. Monitoring both stress and strain development improves the accuracy of judging flow initiation. The findings offer a novel rheological perspective on the solid-fluid phase transition characteristics of loess, offering a scientific basis for assessing and early-warning of flow-like hazards in similar geological settings.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":500,"journal":{"name":"Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment","volume":"85 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148837964","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"NMR-based characterization of soil-water characteristic curves considering volume change during drying-wetting cycles","authors":"Hongfen Zhao,&nbsp;Jiaxi Lu,&nbsp;Stefano Muraro,&nbsp;Xu Li,&nbsp;Yuxin Zhao,&nbsp;Linxun Chen","doi":"10.1007/s10064-026-05254-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10064-026-05254-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Soil-water characteristic curves (SWCCs) govern the coupled hydraulic and mechanical behaviour of unsaturated soils, yet their experimental determination remains time-consuming and costly. This study proposes a rapid nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based method to determine the SWCC while accounting for volume changes during drying–wetting cycles. Two representative decomposed granitic soils with different coarse content were investigated. Soil shrinkage and water retention tests were conducted over five drying-wetting cycles to investigate volume change and water retention behaviour, enabling characterisation of their SWCCs. NMR and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses were performed to investigate pore water distribution and microstructural evolution. Results show that drying-wetting cycles induce significant irreversible volume changes, particularly in fine-rich soils, and alter the soil microstructure and pore water distribution. Hysteresis is more pronounced when the SWCC is expressed in terms of volumetric water content, as volume change is explicitly accounted for. A linear relationship between the cumulative NMR signal amplitude (<i>A</i>_m) and volumetric water content (<i>θ</i>_w) is found, enabling direct conversion of the NMR data to <i>θ</i>_w. The transverse relaxation time (<i>T</i>₂) is linked to matric suction through the Young-Laplace equation, using a pore-water shape factor (<i>C</i>_r) that reflects pore geometry. In this study, <i>C</i>_r is calibrated using Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry (MIP) data, enabling direct derivation of the SWCC from the upper envelope of the cumulative NMR signal. The results demonstrate that NMR can rapidly and reliably predict the SWCC, highlighting its strong potential for applications in unsaturated soils.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":500,"journal":{"name":"Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment","volume":"85 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148837818","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Influence of water saturation on sandstone strainburst failure under true-triaxial unloading with different intermediate principal stresses","authors":"Gang Ma,&nbsp;Hongru Li,&nbsp;Shulin Ren,&nbsp;Cheng Tai,&nbsp;Wentao Wang,&nbsp;Manchao He","doi":"10.1007/s10064-026-05277-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10064-026-05277-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Water injection has been used to mitigate rockbursts in deep tunnels. To clarify the coupled influence of water saturation and intermediate principal stress (<i>σ</i>₂), true-triaxial unloading strainburst tests were performed on dry and saturated sandstone specimens at <i>σ</i>₂ = 5, 10, 15 and 20 MPa. High-speed imaging, fragment sieving and acoustic emission (AE) monitoring were used to characterize mechanical response, dynamic ejection, fragmentation and fracture evolution. The results show that peak strength increases approximately linearly with <i>σ</i>₂ and is well described by the linear Mogi criterion. Saturation markedly weakens sandstone strength and reduces its sensitivity to <i>σ</i>₂. In dry specimens, increasing <i>σ</i>₂ intensifies dynamic strainburst: the maximum horizontal ejection velocity, total fragment mass and proportion of coarse fragments increase, whereas the fractal dimension of fragment-size distribution decreases. In saturated specimens, dynamic strainburst occurs only at <i>σ</i>₂ = 5 MPa; at <i>σ</i>₂ = 10–20 MPa, failure becomes more severe with increasing <i>σ</i>₂ but remains primarily static, indicating that damage severity is not equivalent to strainburst intensity. AE results show that saturation lowers AE energy release and produces a more evident pre-peak quiet period, suggesting enhanced pre-failure dissipation. <i>AF</i>-<i>RA</i> analysis indicates a relative increase in tensile cracking with <i>σ</i>₂ and a higher proportion of shear-related signals in saturated specimens. These observations suggest that saturation reduces brittleness and elastic energy storage capacity, thereby weakening the amplifying effect of <i>σ</i>₂ on strainburst under the adopted unloading path. The results provide reference for rockburst mitigation in water-sensitive sandstone under excavation-induced unloading conditions.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":500,"journal":{"name":"Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment","volume":"85 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148837820","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of rainfall intensity and slope gradient on shallow loess landslides: flume model test and numerical simulation","authors":"Sangpeng Wang,&nbsp;Junrui Chai,&nbsp;Jing Cao","doi":"10.1007/s10064-026-05272-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10064-026-05272-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Frequent rainfall-induced shallow loess landslides occur widely on the Loess Plateau, yet the underlying disaster mechanism under multi-factor coupling remains poorly understood. Taking the typical loess landslide in Bailuyuan, Baqiao District, Xi’an, as the prototype, this study adopts a combined approach of flume model testing and numerical simulation. Nine groups of orthogonal tests were conducted to systematically analyze the controlling effects of rainfall intensity, slope gradient, and initial water content on slope instability. Meanwhile, the temporal and spatial evolution characteristics of volumetric water content (VWC), matric suction (MS), pore water pressure (PWP), and acoustic emission signals (AE) were synchronously monitored. The results indicate that rainfall intensity and slope gradient exert significant control on landslide initiation time and failure scale, with slope gradient having the greater influence. VWC, MS, PWP, and AE signals exhibit a highly synchronized staged evolution law. When the rainfall intensity increases from 30 mm/h to 70 mm/h, the infiltration rate increases by 66%, and the time for PWP to become positive is reduced by 19.5%. As the slope gradient increases from 50° to 60°, the saturation time of the upper soil layer decreases by 40%, the growth rate of PWP increases by 66.7%, and the landslide failure mode shifts from progressive failure to sudden instability. Numerical simulation results are in good agreement with measured data, with VWC errors of less than 7.1% and PWP errors of less than 9.6%, thereby verifying the reliability of the experimental results. This study identifies the failure of MS, the positive transition of PWP, and the sudden surge of AE signals as key precursor thresholds for landslides and establishes a quantitative prediction model for landslides. The research findings can provide a scientific basis for mechanism research, disaster early warning, and engineering prevention of rainfall-induced shallow landslides in loess areas.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":500,"journal":{"name":"Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment","volume":"85 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148837871","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Influence of foundation treatment method on in-situ infiltration law of thick collapsible loess: Model development and verification","authors":"Kejia Yuan,&nbsp;Yingjun Jiang,&nbsp;Ouyang Lou","doi":"10.1007/s10064-026-05200-x","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s10064-026-05200-x","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Collapsible loess exhibits pronounced water-sensitivity, wherein water immersion induces significant collapsible deformation, presenting substantial risks to infrastructure development. Therefore, investigation into the infiltration properties is crucial for addressing loess collapsibility challenges in engineering applications. Based on an in-situ water immersion experiment, TDR moisture probes were installed at both undisturbed and composite foundation to monitor the infiltration process. According to the test data, the influence of compaction piles on water content and infiltration rate was studied, the relationship between infiltration rate, void ratio, and initial water content was further analyzed, a prediction model for saturation infiltration rate was established, and the reliability was verified. The results showed that the construction of compaction piles enhanced the compactness of stratum and formed effective water-resisting layers, thereby weakening the increase of water content. Compared with undisturbed foundations, the composite foundation exhibited average reductions of 1.2%–5.7% in water content increment and 41%–66% in infiltration rate. Notably, the reinforced zones demonstrated no collapse deformation upon saturation, validating the effectiveness of compaction pile reinforcement in mitigating loess subsidence. Variations in the porous characteristic of loess between piles, due to pile spacing, had a significant impact on infiltration. The prediction model for infiltration rate demonstrated high reliability, with prediction parameters showing negative linear correlations with initial water content and void ratio. Specifically, both the initial water content and infiltration rate were decreased linearly with the increase in the prediction parameters, and the correlation between predicted and test values exceeded 98%.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":500,"journal":{"name":"Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment","volume":"85 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148837792","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}