Abstract
Internal erosion is one of the important factors causing geological disasters. The microstructure of soil can change with seepage erosion, resulting in changes in the hydraulic and mechanical properties of the soil. The evolution of seepage erosion is investigated with X-ray computed tomography (CT) in this study. The change in macropore structure characteristics during the seepage erosion test is quantified and the influence of seepage erosion on soil deformation is analyzed. Moreover, a pore network model (PNM) is established for the specimens and the evolution of the connected pore size characteristics is assessed. The results show that the macropore structure is significantly affected by seepage erosion, especially in terms of the porosity and pore geometry characteristics. The changes in macropore structure characteristics are most obvious in the lower part of the specimen. The influence of seepage erosion on the pore size distribution (PSD) and soil deformation is heterogeneous and closely dependent on the spatial location of the soil. Moreover, seepage erosion enhances macropore connectivity and has a directional impact on macropore orientation. These findings can provide a reference for the theoretical modeling and numerical simulation of the seepage erosion and improve the understanding of the seepage erosion evolution in engineering practice.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Availability of Data/Materials: Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
References
Bendahmane F, Marot D, Alexis A (2008) Experimental parametric study of suffusion and backward erosion. J Geotech Geoenviron Eng 134: 57–67. https://doi.org/10.1061/(Asce)1090-0241(2008)134:1(57)
Bianchi F, Wittel FK, Thielmann M, et al. (2018) Tomographic study of internal erosion of particle flows in porous media. Transp Porous Media 122: 169–184. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11242-017-0996-8
Buczko U, Bens O, Huttl RE (2006) Tillage effects on hydraulic properties and macroporosity in silty and sandy soils. Soil Sci Soc Am J 70: 1998–2007. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2006.0046
Budhathoki S, Lamba J, Srivastava P, et al. (2022) Using X-ray computed tomography to quantify variability in soil macropore characteristics in pastures. Soil Tillage Res 215: 105194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2021.105194
Chang DS, Zhang LM (2013) Critical hydraulic gradients of internal erosion under complex stress states. J Geotech Geoenviron Eng 139: 1454–1467. https://doi.org/10.1061/(Asce)Gt.1943-5606.0000871
Cheik S, Bottinelli N, Minh TT, et al. (2019) Quantification of three dimensional characteristics of macrofauna macropores and their effects on soil hydraulic conductivity in northern Vietnam. Front Environ Sci 7 https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2019.00031
Chen L, Wan Y, He JJ, et al. (2021) Experimental study on the suffusion mechanism of gap-graded soils under an exceedance hydraulic gradient. Nat Hazards 109: 405–439. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-021-04842-2
Chu-Agor ML, Fox GA, Cancienne RM, et al. (2008) Seepage caused tension failures and erosion undercutting of hillslopes. J Hydrol 359: 247–259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2008.07.005
Crosta G, Prisco CD (1999) On slope instability induced by seepage erosion. Can Geotech J 36: 1056–1073.
Daneshian B, Habibagahi G, Nikooee E (2021) Determination of unsaturated hydraulic conductivity of sandy soils: a new pore network approach. Acta Geotech 16: 449–466. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-020-01088-3
David Suits L, Sheahan TC, Frost JD, et al. (2003) A critical assessment of the moist tamping technique. Geotech Test J 26: 57–70. https://doi.org/10.1520/gtj11108j
Dragila MI (2005) Principles of soil physics. Vadose Zone J 4: 448–448. https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2004.0012br
Fan N, Wang JR, Deng CB, et al. (2020) Quantitative characterization of coal microstructure and visualization seepage of macropores using CT-based 3D reconstruction. J Nat Gas Sci Eng 81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jngse.2020.103384
Fannin RJ, Moffat R (2006) Observations on internal stability of cohesionless soils. Geotechnique 56: 497–500. https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.56.7.497
Fell R, Fry JJ (2007) Internal erosion of dams and their foundations. Crc Press.
Feng SX, Chai JR, Xu ZG, et al. (2020) Test study on the suffusion process of sand-rock mixtures by NMR systems. Geotech Test J 43: 1286–1299. https://doi.org/10.1520/Gtj20180208
Flores-Berrones R, Ramirez-Reynaga M, Macari J (2011) Internal erosion and rehabilitation of an earth-rock dam. J Geotech Geoenviron Eng 137: 150–160. https://doi.org/10.1061/(Asce)Gt.1943-5606.0000371
Foster M, Fell R, Spannagle M (2000) The statistics of embankment dam failures and accidents. Can Geotech J 37: 1000–1024. https://doi.org/10.1139/t00-030
Gharedaghloo B, Price JS, Rezanezhad F, et al. (2018) Evaluating the hydraulic and transport properties of peat soil using pore network modeling and X-ray micro computed tomography. J Hydrol 561: 494–508. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2018.04.007
Guo CX, Cui YF (2020) Pore structure characteristics of debris flow source material in the Wenchuan earthquake area. Eng Geol 267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2020.105499
He K, Ye C, Deng Y, et al. (2020) Study on the microscale structure and anti-seepage properties of plastic concrete for cut-off walls modified with silica fume: experiment and modelling. Constr Build Mater 261 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2020.120489
Hu C, Liu XL, Jia YG, et al. (2020) Permeability anisotropy of methane hydrate-bearing sands: insights from CT scanning and pore network modelling. Comput Geotech 123 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2020.103568
Huang D, Gu DM (2017) Influence of filling-drawdown cycles of the Three Gorges reservoir on deformation and failure behaviors of anaclinal rock slopes in the Wu Gorge. Geomorphology 295: 489–506. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2017.07.028
Huang D, Gu DM, Song YX, et al. (2018) Towards a complete understanding of the triggering mechanism of a large reactivated landslide in the Three Gorges reservoir. Eng Geol 238: 36–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2018.03.008
Huang D, Huang W-B, Ke C-Y, et al. (2021) Experimental investigation on seepage erosion of the soil-rock interface. Bull Eng Geol Environ 80: 3115–3137. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-021-02104-w
Huang D, Luo SL, Zhong Z, et al. (2020) Analysis and modeling of the combined effects of hydrological factors on a reservoir bank slope in the Three Gorges reservoir area, China. Eng Geol 279: 105858. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2020.105858
Huang RQ (2009) Some catastrophic landslides since the twentieth century in the southwest of China. Landslides 6: 69–81. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-009-0142-y
Jarvis NJ (2020) A review of non-equilibrium water flow and solute transport in soil macropores: principles, controlling factors and consequences for water quality. Eur J Soil Sci 71: 279–302. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejss.12973
Kak AC, Slaney M, Wang G (2002) Principles of computerized tomographic imaging. Medical Physics 29: 107–107. https://doi.org/10.1118/1.1455742
Ke L, Takahashi A (2014) Experimental investigations on suffusion characteristics and its mechanical consequences on saturated cohesionless soil. Soils Found 54: 713–730. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sandf.2014.06.024
Kenney TC, Lau D (1985) Internal stability of granular filters. Canadian Geotechnical Journal 22:420–423.
Kezdi A (1979) Soil Physics: Developments in Geotechnical Engineering. Elsevier Science Ltd., Amsterdam, Netherlands
Kido R, Higo Y, Takamura F, et al. (2020) Morphological transitions for pore water and pore air during drying and wetting processes in partially saturated sand. Acta Geotech 15: 1745–1761. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-020-00939-3
Kim HJ, Park JM, Shin JH (2019) Flow behaviour and piping potential at the soil-structure interface. Geotechnique 69: 79–84. https://doi.org/10.1680/jgeot.17.T.020
Korup O (2004) Geomorphometric characteristics of New Zealand landslide dams. Eng Geol 73: 13–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2003.11.003
Lei X-q (2021) Two-dimensional finite element modeling of seepage-erosion coupled process within unsaturated soil slopes. J Mt Sci 19: 446–460. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-021-6776-5
Li CS, Kong LW, Shu RJ, et al. (2020) Dynamic three-dimensional imaging and digital volume correlation analysis to quantify shear bands in grus. Mech Mater 151: 14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mechmat.2020.103646
Li X, Lu YD, Zhang XZ, et al. (2019) Quantification of macropores of Malan loess and the hydraulic significance on slope stability by X-ray computed tomography. Environ Earth Sci 78: 522.521–522.519. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-019-8527-2
Lin HS, McInnes KJ, Wilding LP, et al. (1995) Effective porosity and flow rate with infiltration at low tensions into a well-structured subsoil. International Symposium on Water Quality Modeling. pp 435–448.
Liu M, Zhang Y, Tian SF, et al. (2020) Effects of loose deposits on debris flow processes in the Aizi Valley, southwest China. J Mt Sci 17: 156–172. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-019-5388-9
Liu WP, Wan SF, Huang FM, et al. (2019) Experimental study of subsurface erosion in granitic under the conditions of different soil column angles and flow discharges. Bull Eng Geol Environ 78: 5877–5888. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-019-01519-w
Luo LF, Lin H, Li SC (2010) Quantification of 3-D soil macropore networks in different soil types and land uses using computed tomography. J Hydrol 393: 53–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2010.03.031
Manahiloh KN, Meehan CL (2017) Determining the soil water characteristic curve and interfacial contact angle from microstructural analysis of X-ray CT images. J Geotech Geoenviron Eng 143. https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)gt.1943-5606.0001677
Meng C, Niu JZ, Yin ZC, et al. (2018) Characteristics of rock fragments in different forest stony soil and its relationship with macropore characteristics in mountain area, northern China. J Mt Sci 15: 519–531. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-017-4638-y
Moffat R, Fannin RJ, Garner SJ (2011) Spatial and temporal progression of internal erosion in cohesionless soil. Can Geotech J 48: 399–412. https://doi.org/10.1139/T10-071
Nguyen CD, Benahmed N, Ando E, et al. (2019) Experimental investigation of microstructural changes in soils eroded by suffusion using X-ray tomography. Acta Geotech 14: 749–765. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-019-00787-w
Nowamooz H, Jahangir E, Masrouri F, et al. (2016) Effective stress in swelling soils during wetting drying cycles. Eng Geol 210: 33–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2016.05.021
Pan P, Shang Y-q, Lü Q, et al. (2017) Periodic recurrence and scale-expansion mechanism of loess landslides caused by groundwater seepage and erosion. Bull Eng Geol Environ 78: 1143–1155. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-017-1090-8
Peyton RL, Gantzer CJ, Anderson SH, et al. (1994) Fractal dimension to describe soil macropore structure using X ray computed tomography. Water Resour Res 30: 691–700. https://doi.org/10.1029/93wr02343
Qin ZP, Lai YM, Tian Y, et al. (2021) Effect of freeze-thaw cycles on soil engineering properties of reservoir bank slopes at the northern foot of Tianshan Mountain. J Mt Sci 18: 541–557. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-020-6215-z
Richards KS, Reddy KR (2007) Critical appraisal of piping phenomena in earth dams. Bull Eng Geol Environ 66: 381–402. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-007-0095-0
Richards KS, Reddy KR (2012) Experimental investigation of initiation of backward erosion piping in soils. Geotechnique 62: 933–942. https://doi.org/10.1680/geot.11.P.058
Sail Y, Marot D, Sibille L, et al. (2011) Suffusion tests on cohesionless granular matter experimental study. Eur J Environ Civ Eng 15: 799–817. https://doi.org/10.3166/Ejece.15.799-817
Schlüter S, Sheppard A, Brown K, et al. (2014) Image processing of multiphase images obtained via X-ray microtomography: a review. Water Resour Res 50: 3615–3639. https://doi.org/10.1002/2014wr015256
Shi HL, Hosdez J, Rougelot T, et al. (2021) Analysis of local creep strain field and cracking process in claystone by X-ray micro-tomography and digital volume correlation. Rock Mech Rock Eng 54: 1937–1952. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-021-02375-5
Shi X, Pan J, Hou Q, et al. (2018) Micrometer-scale fractures in coal related to coal rank based on micro-CT scanning and fractal theory. Fuel 212: 162–172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2017.09.115
Simms P, Yanful E (2005) A pore-network model for hydromechanical coupling in unsaturated compacted clayey soils. Can Geotech J 42: 499–514. https://doi.org/10.1139/t05-002
Starkloff T, Larsbo M, Stolte J, et al. (2017) Quantifying the impact of a succession of freezing-thawing cycles on the pore network of a silty clay loam and a loamy sand topsoil using X- ray tomography. Catena 156: 365–374. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2017.04.026
Suits LD, Sheahan TC, Chang DS, et al. (2011) A stress-controlled erosion apparatus for studying internal erosion in soils. Geotech Test J 34. https://doi.org/10.1520/gtj103889
Videla A, Lin C-L, Miller JD (2006) Watershed functions applied to a 3D image segmentation problem for the analysis of packed particle beds. Part Part Syst Charact 23: 237–245. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppsc.200601055
Wan CF, Fell R (2008) Assessing the potential of internal instability and suffusion in embankment dams and their foundations. J Geotech Geoenviron Eng 134: 401–407. https://doi.org/10.1061/(Asce)1090-0241(2008)134:3(401)
Wang G, Qin XJ, Han DY, et al. (2021a) Study on seepage and deformation characteristics of coal microstructure by 3D reconstruction of CT images at high temperatures. Int J Min Sci Technol 31: 175–185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmst.2020.11.003
Wang G, Qin XJ, Shen JN, et al. (2019) Quantitative analysis of microscopic structure and gas seepage characteristics of low- rank coal based on CT three-dimensional reconstruction of CT images and fractal theory. Fuel 256 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2019.115900
Wang HM, Ni WK, Yuan KZ, et al. (2021b) Microstructure evolution of loess under multiple collapsibility based on nuclear magnetic resonance and scanning electron microscopy. J Mt Sci 18: 2612–2625. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-021-6838-8
Zhao D, Xu MX, Liu GB, et al. (2017) Quantification of soil aggregate microstructure on abandoned cropland during vegetative succession using synchrotron radiation-based micro-computed tomography. Soil Tillage Res 165: 239–246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2016.08.007
Zhao Y, Hu X, Li X (2020) Analysis of the intra-aggregate pore structures in three soil types using X-ray computed tomography. Catena 193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2020.104622
Zhou HW, Zhong JC, Ren WG, et al. (2018) Characterization of pore-fracture networks and their evolution at various measurement scales in coal samples using X-ray μCT and a fractal method. International Journal of Coal Geology 189: 35–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coal.2018.02.007
Zhou S, Liu D, Cai Y, et al. (2016) Fractal characterization of pore-fracture in low-rank coals using a low-field NMR relaxation method. Fuel 181: 218–226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2016.04.119
Zhou XP, Li CQ (2021) Permeability prediction of porous geomaterials subjected to freeze-thaw cycles based on 3D reconstruction technology. Cold Reg Sci Tech 181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2020.103180
Zhu Q, Su LJ, Liu ZY, et al. (2022) An evaluation method for internal erosion potential of gravelly soil based on particle size distribution. J Mt Sci 19: 1203–1214. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-021-7115-6
Zuo L, Xu L, Baudet BA, et al. (2020) The structure degradation of a silty loess induced by long-term water seepage. Eng Geol 272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2020.105634
Acknowledgments
The work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41972297) and the Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province (No. D2021202002).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Huang Da, Huang Wen- bo and Gao Yi-kang. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Huang Wen-bo. The previous versions were reviewed and edited by Huang Da. All authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript and all authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Huang, Wb., Huang, D., Gao, Yk. et al. Effect of seepage-induced erosion on soil macropore structure. J. Mt. Sci. 20, 3402–3422 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-023-8082-x
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-023-8082-x