Wang, Yahui;
(2025)
Transitional Behaviour of Saturated and Unsaturated Tailings and Loess.
Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
This research investigates the transitional behaviour of soils under both saturated and unsaturated conditions through a comprehensive experimental programme. Transitional behaviour, characterised by non-unique Normal Compression Lines (NCLs) and Critical State Lines (CSLs), is a special case of the widely accepted Critical State Soil Mechanics (CSSM). Although this behaviour has been recognised in some soils under saturated conditions, its detailed characteristics and its persistence under partial saturation remain poorly understood. Four types of reconstituted soils were examined, namely fine tailings, sandy tailings, silty loess, and a kaolin–sand mixture, selected for their differences in mineralogy, grading, and particle size distribution. The study first focused on saturated mechanical behaviour using oedometer and triaxial tests across a wide range of initial densities. All four materials exhibited transitional behaviour, with fine tailings displaying the most pronounced characteristics. Detailed investigations on fine tailings included quantification of NCL and CSL parameters, evaluation of small-strain stiffness, volumetric behaviour, and state boundary surface analysis. The second part of the study explored the transitional behaviour under unsaturated conditions. An unsaturated triaxial system was developed using the axis translation technique. Filter paper tests were used to determine Soil Water Retention Curves in order to guide sample selection and sample preparation. Unsaturated triaxial tests were conducted on sandy tailings and silty loess under constant suction compression and constant water content shearing. Transitional behaviour was clearly observed in both soils, and suction was found to influence this behaviour.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Qualification: | Ph.D |
| Title: | Transitional Behaviour of Saturated and Unsaturated Tailings and Loess |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2025. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Civil, Environ and Geomatic Eng |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10216511 |
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