Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Morphological description of desiccation cracks in soils: insights from the perspective of anisotropy

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The characterization of a soil crack network requires a comprehensive understanding of statistics and has been of longstanding interest but not well resolved. By performing a series of desiccation cracking tests with a soil mixture comprising fines and montmorillonite, we make a systematic examination of the effect of the container shape on the anisotropic distribution of a crack network. The statistical analyses show that the angular distributions of crack orientation and length vectors in the cases of square and rectangular shapes have the feature of orthogonal concentration in two angular zones near the horizontal and vertical directions (i.e., − 15° < ϕ < 15° and 75° < ϕ < 105°) and that a larger magnitude of anisotropy results in a more intense concentration around the principal direction of anisotropy, whereas the angular distributions of these two vectors are in an almost isotropic state for the circular shape. The angular distributions of crack width and area vectors do not have an orthogonal concentration for any container shape. The distributions of crack area vectors approximate to an isotropic state for the square and circular shapes and have weak anisotropy for the rectangular shapes, with the principal direction of anisotropy being near the vertical direction. It is revealed that either the crack length or width vector exercises a dominant influence on the angular distribution anisotropy of crack area vectors only if its angular distribution bears relatively strong anisotropy.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15
Fig. 16

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Akiba Y, Shima H (2019) Flow-velocity-dependent transition of anisotropic crack patterns in CaCO3 paste. J Phys Soc Jpn 88:024001

  • Alava MJ, Nukala PKVV, Zapperi S (2006) Morphology of two dimensional fracture surfaces. J Stat Mech 10:L10002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • An N, Tang C, Cheng Q, Wang D, Shi B (2020) Application of electrical resistivity method in the characterization of 2D desiccation cracking process of clayey soil. Eng Geol 265:105416

  • Arena A, Delle Piane C, Sarout J (2014) A new computational approach to cracks quantification from 2D image analysis: application to micro-cracks description in rocks. Comput Geosci 66:106–120

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bai T, Pollard DD, Gao H (2000) Explanation for fracture spacing in layered materials. Nature 403:753–756

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baker R (1981) Tensile strength, tension cracks, and stability of slopes. Soils Found 21:1–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Basson MS, Ayothiraman R (2020) Effect of human hair fiber reinforcement on shrinkage cracking potential of expansive clay. Bull Eng Geol Environ 79:2159–2168

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boehm-Courjault E, Barbotin S, Leemann A, Scrivener K (2020) Microstructure, crystallinity and composition of alkali-silica reaction products in concrete determined by transmission electron microscopy. Cem Concr Res 130:105988

  • Bohn S, Pauchard L, Couder Y (2005a) Hierarchical crack pattern as formed by successive domain divisions. I. Temporal and geometrical hierarchy. Phys Rev E 71:046214

  • Bohn S, Platkiewicz J, Andreotti B, Adda-Bedia M, Couder Y (2005b) Hierarchical crack pattern as formed by successive domain divisions. II. From disordered to deterministic behavior. Phys Rev E 71:046215

  • Bulolo S, Leong EC, Kizza R (2021) Tensile strength of unsaturated coarse and fine-grained soils. Bull Eng Geol Environ 80:2727–2750

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng Q, Tang CS, Zhu C, Li K, Shi B (2020) Drying-induced soil shrinkage and desiccation cracking monitoring with distributed optical fiber sensing technique. Bull Eng Geol Environ 79:3959–3970

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cortet P, Huillard G, Vanel L, Ciliberto S (2008) Attractive and repulsive cracks in a heterogeneous. J Stat Mech 10:P10022

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Costa S, Kodikara J, Shannon B (2013) Salient factors controlling desiccation cracking of clay in laboratory experiments. Géotechnique 63:18–29

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dai BB, Yang J (2017) Shear strength of assemblies of frictionless particles. International Journal of Geomechanics ASCE 17:04017102

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dai BB, Yang J, Luo XD (2015) A numerical analysis of the shear behavior of granular soil with fines. Particuology 21:160–172

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dai BB, Yang J, Zhou CY (2017) Micromechanical origin of angle of repose in granular materials. Granul Matter 19:24

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dai BB, Yang J, Zhou CY, Luo XD (2016) DEM investigation on the effect of sample preparation on the shear behavior of granular soil. Particuology 25:111–121

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeCarlo KF, Shokri N (2014) Effects of substrate on cracking patterns and dynamics in desiccating clay layers. Water Resour Res 50:3039–3051

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fernandes M, Denis A, Fabre R, Lataste JF, Chrétien M (2015) In situ study of the shrinkage-swelling of a clay soil over several cycles of drought-rewetting. Eng Geol 192:63–75

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goehring L (2013) Evolving fracture patterns: columnar joints, mud cracks and polygonal terrain. Phil Trans R Soc A 371:20120353

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goehring L, Conroy R, Akhter A (2010) Evolution of mud-crack patterns during repeated drying cycles. Soft Matter 6:3562–3567

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gui Y, Zhao GF (2015) Modelling of laboratory soil desiccation cracking using DLSM with a two-phase bond model. Comput Geotech 69:578–587

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hawkins AB (2013) Some engineering geological effects of drought: examples from the UK. Bull Eng Geol Environ 72:37–59

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu T, Guilleminot J, Dolbow JE (2020) A phase-field model of fracture with frictionless contact and random fracture properties: application to thin-film fracture and soil desiccation. Comput Methods Appl Mech Engrg 368:113106

  • Julina M, Thyagaraj T (2020) Combined effects of wet-dry cycles and interacting fluid on desiccation cracks and hydraulic conductivity of compacted clay. Eng Geol 267:105505

  • Kanatani K (1984) Distribution of directional data and fabric tensors. Int J Engng Sci 22:149–164

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khan MS, Hossain S, Ahmed A, Faysal M (2017) Investigation of a shallow slope failure on expansive clay in Texas. Eng Geol 219:118–129

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khatun T, Dutta T, Tarafdar S (2013) Crack formation under an electric field in droplets of laponite gel: memory effect and scaling relations. Langmuir 29:15535–15542

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khatun T, Dutta T, Tarafdar S (2015) Topology of desiccation crack patterns in clay and invariance of crack interface area with thickness. Eur Phys J E 38:83

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kindle EM (1917) Some factor affecting the development of mud-cracks. J Geol 25:135–144

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kitsunezaki S, Nakahara A, Matsuo Y (2016) Shaking-induced stress anisotropy in the memory effect of paste. EPL 114:64002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kitsunezaki S, Sasaki A, Nishimoto A, Mizuguchi T, Matsuo Y, Nakahara A (2017) Memory effect and anisotropy of particle arrangements in granular paste. Eur Phys J E 40:88

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kokkoniemi R, Ovaska M, Laurson L, Alava MJ (2017) Intermittent crack growth in fatigue. J Stat Mech 07:073401

  • Krisdani H, Rahardjo H, Leong EC (2008) Effects of different drying rates on shrinkage characteristics of a residual soil and soil mixtures. Eng Geol 102:31–37

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lakshmikantha MR, Prat PC, Ledesma A (2018) Boundary effects in the desiccation of soil layers with controlled environmental conditions. Geotech Test J 41:675–697

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li JH, Zhang LM (2011) Study of desiccation crack initiation and development at ground surface. Eng Geol 123:347–358

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu C, Tang CS, Shi B, Suo WB (2013) Automatic quantification of crack patterns by image processing. Comput Geosci 57:77–80

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu T, Luo H, Ma J, Xie W, Wang Y, Jing G (2016) Surface roughness induced cracks of the deposition film from drying colloidal suspension. Eur Phys J E 39:24

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lu Y, Liu S, Weng L, Wang L, Li Z, Xu L (2016) Fractal analysis of cracking in a clayey soil under freeze-thaw cycles. Eng Geol 208:93–99

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matsuo Y, Nakahara A (2012) Effect of interaction on the formation of memories in paste. J Phys Soc Jpn 81:024801

  • Miller CJ, Mi H, Yesiller N (1998) Experimental analysis of desiccation cracking propagation in clay, liners. J Am Water Resour Assoc 34:677–686

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Modes CD, Magnasco MO, Katifori E (2016) Extracting hidden hierarchies in 3D histribution networks Phys Rev X 6:031009

  • Nakahara A, Matsuo Y (2006a) Imprinting memory into paste to control crack formation in drying process. J Stat Mech 07:P07016

    Google Scholar 

  • Nakahara A, Matsuo Y (2006b) Transition in the pattern of cracks resulting from memory effects in paste. Phys Rev E 74:045102

  • Nakayama H, Matsuo Y, Takeshi O, Nakahara A (2013) Position control of desiccation cracks by memory effect and Faraday wave. Eur Phys J E 36:1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nakahara A, Hiraoka T, Hayashi R, Matsuo Y, Kitsunezaki S (2019) Mechanism of memory effect of paste which dominates desiccation crack patterns. Phil Trans R Soc A 377:20170395

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nishiuma S, Miyazima S (1999) Crack growth and percolation in anisotropically rolled thin plate. Physica A 266:209–213

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oda M (1999) Introduction to mechanics of granular materials ed M Oda and K Iwashita (Publisher: A.A. Balkema Rotterdam Netherlands) 27–35

  • Omidi GH, Thomas JC, Brown KW (1996) Effect of desiccation cracking on the hydraulic conductivity of a compacted clay liner. Water Air Soil Pollut 89:91–103

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peng X, Zhang Z, Gan L, Yoshida S (2016) Linking soil shrinkage behavior and cracking in two paddy soils as affected by wetting and drying cycles. Soil Sci Soc Am J 80:1145–1156

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Péron H, Hueckel T, Laloui L, Hu L (2009) Fundamentals of desiccation cracking of fine- grained soils: experimental characterisation and mechanisms identification. Can Geotech J 46:1177–1201

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rodríguez R, Sánchez M, Ledesma A, Lloret A (2007) Experimental and numerical analysis of desiccation of a mining waste. Can Geotech J 44:644–658

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rothenburg L, Bathurst RJ (1989) Analytical study of induced anisotropy in idealized granular materials. Géotechnique 39(1989):601–614

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sánchez M, Manzoli OL, Guimarães LJN (2014) Modeling 3-D desiccation soil crack networks using a mesh fragmentation technique. Comput Geotech 62:27–39

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Satake M (1982) Fabric tensor in granular materials IUTAM Symp. on Deformation and Failure of Granular Materials Delft. 63–68

  • Stirling RA (2014) Multiphase modelling of desiccation cracking in compacted cracking in compacted soil. PhD thesis Newcastle University

  • Sun WJ, Cui YJ (2017) Investigating the microstructure changes for silty soil during drying. Géotechnique 68:1–4

    Google Scholar 

  • Tang C, Shi B, Liu C, Zhao L, Wang B (2008) Influencing factors of geometrical structure of surface shrinkage cracks in clayey soils. Eng Geol 101:204–217

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang C, Shi B, Liu C, Suo WB, Gao L (2011) Experimental characterization of shrinkage and desiccation cracking in thin clay layer. Appl Clay Sci 52:69–77

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang C, Wang D, Zhu C, Zhou QY, Xu SK, Shi B (2018) Characterizing drying induced clayey soil desiccation cracking process using electrical resistivity method. Appl Clay Sci 152:101–112

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang C, Zhu C, Leng T, Shi B, Cheng Q, Zeng H (2019) Three-dimensional characterization of desiccation cracking behavior of compacted clayey soil using X-ray computed tomography. Eng Geol 255:1–10

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tay YY, Stewart DI, Cousens TW (2001) Shrinkage and desiccation cracking in bentonite–sand landfill liners. Eng Geol 60:263–274

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tollenaar RN, van Paassen LA, Jommi C (2017) Observations on the desiccation and cracking of clay layers. Eng Geol 230:23–31

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vo TD, Pouya A, Hemmati S, Tang AM (2019) Modelling desiccation crack geometry evolution in clayey soils by analytical and numerical approaches. Can Geotech J 56:720–729

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang C, Zhang Z, Liu Y, Fan S (2017) Geometric and fractal analysis of dynamic cracking patterns subjected to wetting-drying cycles. Soil till Res 170:1–13

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang LL, Tang CS, Shi B, Cui YJ, Zhang GQ, Hilary I (2018) Nucleation and propagation mechanisms of soil desiccation cracks. Eng Geol 238:27–35

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weinberger R (1999) Initiation and growth of cracks during desiccation of stratified muddy soils. J Struct Geol 21:379–386

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang J, Dai BB (2011) Is the quasi-steady state a real behaviour? A micromechanical perspective. Géotechnique 61:175–184

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yuan S, Yang B, Liu J, Cao B (2021) Influence of fibers on desiccation cracks in sodic soil. Bull Eng Geol Environ 80:3207–3216

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zeng H, Tang C, Cheng Q, Inyang HI, Rong DZ, Lin L, Shi B (2019) Coupling effects of interfacial friction and layer thickness on soil desiccation cracking behavior. Eng Geol 260:105220

  • Zhang Y, Ye WM, Chen B, Chen YG, Ye B (2016) Desiccation of NaCl-contaminated soil of earthen heritages in the Site of Yar City, northwest China. Appl Clay Sci 124–125:1–10

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Z, Zhu W, Zhu C, Wang C, Wu C, Si H (2013) Statistical characteristics of random distribution of shrinkage cracks on farmland soil surface. Trans Chin Soc Agric Eng 29:119–124

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhao YP, Chen J, Yuan Q, Cheng C (2016) Microcrack connectivity in rocks: a real-space renormalization group approach for 3D anisotropic bond percolation. J Stat Mech 01:013205

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors appreciate financial support provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52078507), the Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou City under grant No. 202002030195, the Science and Technology Program of Zhuhai City under grant No. ZH22036204200009PWC, and the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province under grant No. (2018A030313897). Support from HKRGC under the General Research Fund scheme (Grant No. 17250316) is also acknowledged. The authors extend their sincere gratitude to Mr. Chang-Wen Xu and Mr. Yi-Yuan Chen for their kind assistance in the experimental work.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Civil Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China

    Bei-Bing Dai & Tian-Qi Li

  2. Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, China

    Bei-Bing Dai

  3. Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Jun Yang

  4. College of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin, China

    Feng-Tao Liu

  5. School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China

    Chao-Sheng Tang

Authors
  1. Bei-Bing Dai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jun Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Feng-Tao Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Chao-Sheng Tang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Tian-Qi Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Feng-Tao Liu.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Dai, BB., Yang, J., Liu, FT. et al. Morphological description of desiccation cracks in soils: insights from the perspective of anisotropy. Bull Eng Geol Environ 81, 94 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-022-02600-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-022-02600-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation