Abstract <p>Expansive soils are highly susceptible to water loss and shrinkage cracking under dry conditions. This paper investigates the effects of wind speed and light intensity on water loss and cracking behavior in expansive soils. A customized experimental device was designed to simulate varying levels of wind speed and light intensity. Drying and shrinkage experiments were conducted on expansive soil specimens of specific dimensions, with data and photographs systematically recorded using electronic scales and cameras. Image recognition and processing techniques were employed to extract crack area and length. These methods allowed for a comprehensive analysis of how wind speed and light intensity influence water evaporation and crack development in expansive soils. The results showed that water evaporation in expansive soils exhibits distinct stages. The peak evaporation rate tended to increase with either increasing light intensity or wind speed, while the time required for evaporation to stabilize decreased. When wind speeds were below 1.5 m/s, the crack area and length of the soil samples increased with rising wind speeds. However, the sensitivity of samples to wind speed decreased after the wind speed was greater than 1.5 m/s. As light intensity increases, the crack length shows rising trend, while changes in crack area are relatively small. The development of crack length reached a steady state earlier than the crack area, showing that the samples increased the crack area by increasing the crack width after the crack length was stabilized. The research of the effects of wind speed and light on water evaporation and cracking of expansive soil can provide a reference for the analysis of the mechanism of drying and shrinking cracking of expansive soils.</p>