Abstract
Collapsibility is a unique feature of loess. Besides foundation deformation and subsurface erosion, slope failures can also be resulted from the collapse of loess. Based on analysis of the collapse of loess at the Heifangtai terrace, Gansu, China, a notable difference between the theoretically calculated and actual values of collapse were observed. The theoretical value was less than 50 % of the actual one. Based on this difference, the assessment of the collapse of loess, including definition of collapsible loess and calculation of the collapse are discussed. It is found that collapsible loess is a kind of typical unsaturated soil. Therefore, water content and types of structures were essential factors affecting the collapsibility of loess. Assessment of the collapse of loess, from why collapse to how collapse, can be achieved by applying parameters representing both water content and types of structure, using the theory of unsaturated soil mechanics.
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Acknowledgments
This research was supported by National Land Resources Survey Project (No. 1212011140005 and No. 1212011014024).
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Sun, P., Zhang, M., Zhu, L., Xue, Q., Hu, W. (2014).
Discussion on Assessment in the Collapse of Loess: A Case Study of the Heifangtai Terrace, Gansu, China.
In: Sassa, K., Canuti, P., Yin, Y. (eds) Landslide Science for a Safer Geoenvironment. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05050-8_31
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-05050-8_31
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