Expansive soils are susceptible to cracking due to significant moisture fluctuations, which can potentially lead to structural instability. Although geogrid reinforcement is widely used to control soil swelling and shrinkage, its effects on cracking behavior are not fully understood. This study investigates the influence of geogrid reinforcement on the cracking behavior of expansive soils by comparing soil samples reinforced with two layers of geogrid to unreinforced samples under evaporation conditions. Crack development was monitored using high-resolution imaging and fluorescence tracing to measure crack depth and calculate surface crack ratio. Additionally, moisture content distribution and evaporation rates were assessed. The results show that geogrid reinforcement reduced the total crack ratio by 1.34% and decreased average crack depth by 43.5%, leading to a more uniform crack distribution with smaller openings. Both internal and external cracks facilitated moisture exchange between the soil and atmosphere. The frictional and interlocking effects at the soil-geogrid interface effectively inhibited cracking and reduced moisture migration. The uniaxial geogrid also induced anisotropy crack restraint, with environmental exposure and geogrid orientation playing critical roles in crack control. Overall, these findings demonstrate the effectiveness of geogrids in enhancing the stability of expansive soils and limiting atmospheric influence through crack suppression.

中文翻译：

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土工格栅加固对膨胀土开裂特性的影响：一项室内研究


由于水分波动很大，膨胀土壤容易开裂，这可能导致结构不稳定。尽管土工格栅加固被广泛用于控制土壤膨胀和收缩，但其对开裂行为的影响尚不完全清楚。本研究通过比较两层土工格栅加固的土壤样品与蒸发条件下的未加固样品，研究了土工格栅加固对膨胀土开裂行为的影响。使用高分辨率成像和荧光示踪监测裂纹发展，以测量裂纹深度并计算表面裂纹比率。此外，还评估了水分含量分布和蒸发速率。结果表明：土工格栅加固使总裂缝率降低了 1.34%，平均裂缝深度降低了 43.5%，导致裂缝分布更均匀，开口较小。内部和外部裂缝都促进了土壤和大气之间的水分交换。土-土工格栅界面处的摩擦和互锁效应有效抑制了开裂，减少了水分迁移。单轴土工格栅还诱导了各向异性裂缝约束，环境暴露和土工格栅方向在裂缝控制中起关键作用。总体而言，这些发现证明了土工格栅在增强膨胀土壤的稳定性和通过抑制裂缝限制大气影响方面的有效性。