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Lookup NU author(s): Emma McConnell, Dr Jessica HolmesORCiD, Dr Ross StirlingORCiD, Dr Colin DavieORCiD, Professor Stephanie Glendinning
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2023.Deterioration within desiccated, clay infrastructure embankments can originate from two processes: (A) preferential flow through cracks allowing deeper and faster propagation of wetting fronts, and (B) microstructural degradation, reducing soil water retention capacity. These processes are interrelated, and together act to increase surface layer exposure to intense mechanical weathering and therefore, risk of asset failure. Desiccation induced deterioration is set to intensify under future climate change projections, heightening the need to understand how these processes develop within, and deteriorate, embankment fill over time. To address this, long-term hydrological and desiccation crack monitoring of a large-scale slope, constructed within an outdoor lysimeter, has been carried out under both natural, and simulated, climatic conditions. Initial findings illustrate a highly desiccated slope has the capacity to accept a large volume of storm rainfall prior to crack closure. This volume is set to increase due to the progressive aggregation and reduction in SWR behaviour observed within the slope. The importance of antecedent conditions, both in terms of crack geometry and initial degree of saturation, at the onset of rainfall, additionally proved important as it controls the depth and magnitude of VWC change in the slope. Continued monitoring of the slope will aid our understanding of the temporal evolution of these deterioration processes.
Author(s): McConnell E, Holmes J, Stirling R, Davie CT, Glendinning S
Editor(s): Bardanis M
Publication type: Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstract)
Publication status: Published
Conference Name: 8th International Conference on Unsaturated Soils (UNSAT 2023)
Year of Conference: 2023
Pages: 06006
Online publication date: 24/04/2023
Acceptance date: 02/04/2023
Date deposited: 01/06/2023
ISSN: 2267-1242
Publisher: EDP Sciences
URL: https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202338206006
DOI: 10.1051/e3sconf/202338206006
Series Title: E3S Web of Conferences
