Related papers: The physical effects of an intra-aggregate structu…
A recent model showed how a clay shrinkage curve is step-by-step transformed into the shrinkage curve of an aggregated soil at any clay content if it is measured on samples so small that cracks do not occur at shrinkage. Such a shrinkage…
A recently proposed model showed how a clay shrinkage curve is transformed to the soil shrinkage curve at the soil clay content higher than a critical one. The objective of the present work was to generalize this model to the soil clay…
Physical understanding of the links between soil swelling, texture, structure, cracking, and sample size is of great interest for the physical understanding of many processes in the soil-air-water system and for applications in civil,…
A recently introduced parameter, the ratio of an aggregate solid mass to a solid mass of an intraaggregate matrix (K ratio) is connected with the mean thickness of a deformable, but non-shrinking surface layer of aggregates and is a…
The objective of this work is a physical prediction of such soil shrinkage anisotropy characteristics as variation with drying of (i) different sample/layer sizes and (ii) the shrinkage geometry factor. With that, a new presentation of the…
The objective of this work is to derive the soil water retention from the soil structure without curve-fitting and only using the physical parameters found irrespective of an experimental retention curve. Two key points underlie the work:…
In this paper, the influence of aggregate size and volume fraction on shrinkage induced micro-cracking and permeability of concrete and mortar was investigated. Nonlinear finite element analyses of model concrete and mortar specimens were…
In this paper, the influence of aggregate size and volume fraction on shrinkage induced micro-cracking and permeability of concrete and mortar was investigated. Nonlinear finite element analyses of model concrete and mortar specimens with…
Physical understanding of the crack origin and quantitative physical prediction of the crack volume variation far from the clay soil surface are necessary to protect the underlying aquifers from pollutants. The basis of this work is an…
This paper is focused on soil subsidence of small extend and amplitude caused by tunnel boring or the collapse of underground cavities, whether natural or man-made. The impact of the movements of the ground on existing structures is…
The presence of desiccation cracks in soils can significantly alter their mechanical and hydrological properties. In many circumstances, desiccation cracking in soils can cause significant damage to earthen or soil supported structures. For…
The effect of a "pore-size" length-scale parameter l on compaction of grounds with fluid inclusions is studied. They are modelled as continua endowed with micro-structure by means of the macro-modelling procedure proposed in [2]. We show…
A large component of the building material concrete consists of aggregate with varying particle sizes between 0.125 and 32 mm. Its actual size distribution significantly affects the quality characteristics of the final concrete in both, the…
We exploit a key result from visual psychophysics---that individuals perceive shape qualitatively---to develop the use of a geometrical/topological "invariant'' (the Morse--Smale complex) relating image structure with surface structure.…
Cracking and peeling of a layer of clay on desiccation has been simulated using a spring model. A vertical section through the layer with finite thickness is represented by a rectangular array of nodes connected by linear springs on a…
We investigate the shrinkage induced breakup of thin layers of heterogeneous materials attached to a substrate, a ubiquitous natural phenomenon with a wide range of potential applications. Focusing on the evolution of the fragment ensemble,…
Grain growth fundamentally shapes the microstructure of crystalline materials upon annealing, affecting their overall mechanical and functional properties. Recently, it has been rationalized that grain growth in polycrystals does not result…
The material properties of polycrystals are strongly affected by the evolution and coarsening of their internal grain structures. Yet, studying this process is challenging due to the complex interactions within grain boundary networks.…
Desiccation cracking in clayey soils occurs when they lose moisture, leading to an increase in their compressibility and hydraulic conductivity and hence significant reduction of soil strength. The prediction of desiccation cracking in…
Soil is a critical component of terrestrial ecosystems, directly influencing global biogeochemical cycles. Despite its importance, the complex architecture of soil pores and their impact on greenhouse gas emissions remain poorly understood.…