Abstract
Gas permeability is an important parameter in the determination of the pore structure characteristics of loess, especially in engineering fields such as earthwork and landfill cover treatment. With an improved ZC-2015 air permeameter, the air permeability (ka) testing under different water contents (w), dry densities (ρd) and wetting paths was conducted on remolded Q3 Malan loess from the Chanhe River area in Xi’an, Shaanxi, China. The results indicate that the ka of the remolded loess decreased rapidly as ρd increased and exhibited a relatively complex pattern as w increased. When w was less than the plastic limit (wp) and ρd was relatively low (1.35 g·cm−3, 1.45 g·cm−3), ka decreased as we increased. When ρd reached a certain value (1.50 g·cm−3, 1.65 g·cm−3), the ka-we curve exhibited a notable turning point. When ρd continued to increase 1.70 g·cm−3, ka decreased as we increased. The results of microscopic analysis, suggested that under the action of different water content and compaction, levels of aggregates and pore structures were formed. A Poulsen model was used to predict the ka and the test results were in relatively coincident with the calculation results, demonstrating that the Poulsen model is applicable.
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The study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41572264, and 41877225).
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Liu, J., Li, X., Guo, Z. et al. Test Study on the Air Permeability of Remolded Q3 Malan Loess. KSCE J Civ Eng 25, 2824–2835 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-021-0518-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-021-0518-7