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<p>When exposed to the atmospheric environment after engineering excavation, compacted loess undergoes microstructural alterations during wetting and drying (WD) cycles, leading to irreversible impacts on its water retention characteristics. To investigate the evolution of water retention properties and microstructure of Ili loess subjected to WD cycles, the soil water retention curves (SWRC) was obtained using the filter paper method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) were employed to acquire two-dimensional micrographs and pore-size distribution (PSD) curves of the samples, respectively. The results indicate that the microstructural data reveal a dual-porosity characteristic of the compacted loess. The WD cycles alter the pore structure of the Ili loess, with the drying-wetting process exerting a significant influence on the macro-pores within the compacted samples. When the number of WD cycles exceeds three, changes in the micropores also occur. The alterations in the microscopic pore structure significantly reduce the water retention capacity of the Ili loess in the low suction range. Finally, a predictive model was derived based on the dual-porosity theoretical framework, and its reliability was validated against the experimental results. This model enables the rapid and accurate acquisition of the SWRC for unsaturated soils and is applicable to relevant engineering practices involving compacted loess.</p>

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Study on the effect of pore structure on water retention properties of compacted loess under wetting and drying cycle conditions

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月17日

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  • Zhiyong Zhang,
  • Weixing Bao,
  • Lei Tian,
  • Zhiming Huang,
  • Xiaolin Guan,
  • Rui Chen

摘要

When exposed to the atmospheric environment after engineering excavation, compacted loess undergoes microstructural alterations during wetting and drying (WD) cycles, leading to irreversible impacts on its water retention characteristics. To investigate the evolution of water retention properties and microstructure of Ili loess subjected to WD cycles, the soil water retention curves (SWRC) was obtained using the filter paper method. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) were employed to acquire two-dimensional micrographs and pore-size distribution (PSD) curves of the samples, respectively. The results indicate that the microstructural data reveal a dual-porosity characteristic of the compacted loess. The WD cycles alter the pore structure of the Ili loess, with the drying-wetting process exerting a significant influence on the macro-pores within the compacted samples. When the number of WD cycles exceeds three, changes in the micropores also occur. The alterations in the microscopic pore structure significantly reduce the water retention capacity of the Ili loess in the low suction range. Finally, a predictive model was derived based on the dual-porosity theoretical framework, and its reliability was validated against the experimental results. This model enables the rapid and accurate acquisition of the SWRC for unsaturated soils and is applicable to relevant engineering practices involving compacted loess.