Impact of Wetting and Drying Cycles on the Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of Vegetation-growing Concrete

Xiaole Huang, Wennian Xu, Yu Ding, Dong Xia, Shiyuan Xiong, Daxiang Liu and Bo Pan

Impact of Wetting and Drying Cycles on the Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of Vegetation-growing Concrete

2021

Xiaole Huang, Wennian Xu, Yu Ding, Dong Xia, Shiyuan Xiong, Daxiang Liu and Bo Pan

Vegetation-growing Concrete (VC), as a new type of cemented soil, is usually used for plants growing on the surface of high and steep rocky slopes. With the widespread application of VC substrate, a pressing problem arises to ensure its durability under wetting and drying conditions. To explore the greatest possible impact on the mechanical properties and microstructure features of VC substrate, an experimental program including triaxial test, SEM analysis, and ultrasonic testing was implemented. The results showed that wetting and drying cycles can significantly decrease more than 40-percent of peak strength, 60-percent of residual strength, and 50-percent of cohesion for VC substrate under ultimate conditions. The fundamental cause of reduction in mechanical performance was found to be the weakening of the bond between soil particles. And it was discovered that structural damage increased as the number of wetting and drying cycles increased but at a slower rate. Based on the tested results, linear functions between the loss extent parameters of mechanical performance and the structural damage variable were established for the VC substrate. Finally, the action mechanisms of wetting and drying cycles for VC substrate were discussed, and the main influential factors were proposed.

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