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Soils and Foundations 62 (2022) 101165
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Technical Paper

Compression behavior and structure of undisturbed Q2 loess under

wet-dry cycles
Jianghong Zhu a, Shuxian Han a, Huyuan Zhang a,b,⇑
a
College of Civil Engineering and Mechanics, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
b
Key Laboratory of Mechanics on Disaster and Environment in Western China (Lanzhou University), Ministry of Education, Lanzhou 730000, China

Received 1 August 2021; received in revised form 1 May 2022; accepted 15 May 2022

Abstract

In the Loess Plateau of China, the undisturbed Q2 loess is in a state of wet-dry cycles due to seasonal rainfall and groundwater level
fluctuations. The root cause of large deformation and poor stability of engineering foundation caused by wet-dry cycles or load com-
pression lies in the distinctive structure of loess. In this paper, the effects of wet-dry cycles and initial water content on the compression
deformation and compression coefficient of undisturbed Q2 loess were analyzed. Based on the structural parameter at the macro-level
and the microscopic morphology and pore size distribution at the micro-level, the effects of wet-dry cycles and initial water content
on the structure were analyzed from two aspects, and the influence mechanism was discussed. Meanwhile, based on the relationship
between microstructure and unsaturation, the impact of wet-dry cycles on the soil–water characteristic curve was determined. The results
show that the wet-dry cycles and initial water content were positively correlated with the compression deformation and compression
coefficient of the undisturbed Q2 loess, but negatively correlated with the structural parameter and water retention. These parameters
were stable under the 2 wet-dry cycles. With the increase in initial water content, the sensitivity of wet-dry cycles to the compression
deformation, structural parameter, and water retention gradually decreased. The sensitivity of initial water content to the compression
deformation, structural parameter, and water retention gradually reduced with the increasing wet-dry cycles. Moreover, the influence
mechanism of wet-dry cycles and initial water content on the macro-parameters and structure was mainly weakening the particle cemen-
tation strength. With the increase in initial water content, the decreasing range of the inter-aggregate cementation strength and intra-
aggregate cementation strength under the influence of wet-dry cycles decreased. With the increase in wet-dry cycles, the decreasing range
of the inter-aggregate cementation strength and intra-aggregate cementation strength under the influence of initial water content
decreased.
Ó 2022 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Japanese Geotechnical Society. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Keywords: Undisturbed Q2 loess; Wet-dry cycle; Initial water content; Compression behavior; Structure

1. Introduction in the world, covering some 631,000 km2 of its mainland

Loess is an aeolian sediment deposited under arid and
semi-arid conditions in the Quaternary Period (Zhang,
1980; Pye, 1995). China has the largest loess distribution
Peer review under responsibility of The Japanese Geotechnical Society.
⇑ Corresponding author at: College of Civil Engineering and Mechanics,
Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.
E-mail address: zhanghuyuan@lzu.edu.cn (H. Zhang).
or 6.6% of its total area (Fig. 1). The loess is generally
thicker than 100 m over large areas of the Loess Plateau,
and its strata are divided into Q4, Q3, Q2, and Q1 strata
from top to bottom (Liu, 1965; Derbyshire and Mellors,
1988). The Loess Plateau has an arid climate with little
and concentrated precipitation, which is the primary source
of groundwater recharge. The periodic variations of cli-
mate can cause dynamic variations of precipitation infiltra-
tion and groundwater level. The groundwater level rises in

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sandf.2022.101165
0038-0806/Ó 2022 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Japanese Geotechnical Society.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
 J. Zhu et al.
Fig. 1. Loess distribution in China and the research area.
the period of concentrated precipitation and decreases in
the dry season, resulting in the loess near the groundwater
level being in wet-dry cycles. Loess is highly water-sensitive
and generally has superior strength under natural condi-
tions (Wang et al., 2015; Liu et al., 2022). However, after
being subjected to wet-dry cycles, the loess structure is
destroyed (Liu et al., 2010; Yan et al., 2017), which has
an irreversible deterioration impact on the mechanical
properties of the loess, resulting in a decrease in the stabil-
ity of the loess slopes and buildings near the groundwater
level, and causing serious harm to human production and
engineering construction in the area (Shi et al., 2016;
Wang et al., 2020; Sun et al., 2021). Therefore, the influence
of wet-dry cycles on the mechanical properties of loess has
traditionally been an important content of the stability
analysis in the engineering construction of the Loess
Plateau.
Presently, there are numerous studies on the wet-dry
cycle of loess, which have mainly focused on the relation-
ship between compressive strength, shear strength, and
wet-dry cycle (Li et al., 2018; Xu et al., 2020b; Jiang
et al., 2021; Qin et al., 2021). However, few studies have
been conducted on the effects of wet-dry cycles on compres-
sion behavior and structure. Loess is a strong structural
soil with well-developed pores and an under-compacted
structure (Sun, 2002; Karam et al., 2009; An et al., 2018).
Wet-dry cycles or load compression can cause large defor-
mation and poor stability of engineering foundations in the
Loess Plateau (Jia et al., 2013; Xue et al., 2021). The root
2
Soils and Foundations 62 (2022) 101165
cause is that loess has a special structure. Hereby, the com-
pression behavior and structure of loess under wet-dry
cycles are critical parameters in engineering stability analy-
sis. The variations in the compression behavior and struc-
ture of loess should be paid attention to in the research
of wet-dry cycles.
In the previous construction of the Loess Plateau, the
projects were built in the surface of the loess strata, namely
the Q4 and Q3 strata. Due to the collapsibility of loess in
the Q4 and Q3 strata, scholars have mainly paid attention
to the compression behavior and structure of the Q4 and
Q3 loess (Jiang et al., 2014b; Mu et al., 2020; Zuo et al.,
2020), as well as the mechanical properties of the Q4 and
Q3 loess in the wet-dry cycles (Li et al., 2018; Xu et al.,
2020b; Jiang et al., 2021). But there are few studies on
the wet-dry cycle, compression behavior, and structure of
Q2 loess without collapsibility, and the few related studies
have been carried out mainly on remolded soil but not
undisturbed soil (Ng et al., 2017; Xu et al., 2021). With
the rapid development of the Loess Plateau, an increasing
number of projects have been built in the deep Q2 strata.
In the whole Loess Plateau, many groundwater levels are
located in the Q2 strata, and the undisturbed Q2 loess is
in a state of wet-dry cycles (Dai and Guo, 2020; Zhu
et al., 2021). Hence, it is necessary to take the undisturbed
Q2 loess as the research object in the study of the compres-
sion behavior and structure under the wet-dry cycles.
In this paper, the undisturbed Q2 loess in Qingyang City
of the Loess Plateau was taken as the research object. The
 J. Zhu et al. Soils and Foundations 62 (2022) 101165

wet-dry cycle and one-dimensional consolidation tests were (a)

carried out to study the influence of wet-dry cycles on the
compression deformation and compression coefficient of
undisturbed Q2 loess. Meanwhile, by analyzing the rela-
tionship between wet-dry cycles and structural parameter,
the influence of wet-dry cycles on the structure was studied
from the macro level. Based on the analysis of microscopic
morphology and pore size distribution characteristics, the
influence of wet-dry cycles on the structure was studied
from the micro-level, and the influence mechanism of
wet-dry cycles on the compression behavior and structure
was discussed. Besides, based on the relationship between
microstructure and unsaturated property, the impact of
wet-dry cycles on the soil–water characteristic curve
(SWCC) of undisturbed Q2 loess was analyzed to further
discuss the influence of wet-dry cycles on the structure. (b)

2. Test materials and methods

2.1. Test materials

The loess samples used in the study were taken from

Dongzhi tableland, Qingyang City, China (Figs. 1 and 2).
The soil at the sampling site is Q2 loess (known as Lishi
loess in China), which has a yellow color. Some basic phys-
ical properties of the loess sample are listed in Table 1. The
soil particle size distribution test was conducted using a
laser particle size analyzer Mastersizer 2000 (UK) with
Hydro200G, which showed that the loess sample consists
mainly of silt (approximately 76.7%) with some clay (ap-
proximately 21.7%) (Table 1, Fig. 3a). Using the classifica-
tion method proposed by Gibbs and Holland (1960), it was
found that the loess sample belongs to silty loess based on
the plasticity properties (Table 1, Fig. 3b). Moreover, the
X-ray diffraction test showed that the mineralogical com-
positions of the loess sample are predominantly quartz,
mica, and feldspar, with a small amount of dolomite and
calcite (Fig. 4).
2.2. Sample preparations
The loess samples used in the one-dimensional consoli-
dation tests were all cylindrical, with a height of 20 mm
and a diameter of 61.8 mm. Although the undisturbed loess
samples were taken as the research objects in this study, the
relevant parameters of the remolded loess samples and sat-
urated undisturbed loess samples were needed in analyzing
the structural parameter (Shao et al., 2008; Wu et al.,
2020). Thus, the preparation of the two samples was also
carried out in this study, and the pertinent parameters of
the two samples were only used to obtain the structural
parameter. The preparation process of all loess samples
strictly complied with the Chinese National Standard
GB/T50123-2019 (SAC, 2019).
Through a large number of exploration boreholes for
the Q2 loess at the sampling sites, it was found that
the dry density of Q2 loess near the groundwater level is
3
Fig. 2. Sampling site (a) Topography (modified from Zhang, 1980) (b)
Lithological profile.
1.54 ± 0.01 g/cm3, the minimum water content of Q2 loess
is 10.8%, and the water content of Q2 loess is mostly
between 15.8% and 25.5%. That is to say, the dry density
of Q2 loess near the groundwater level is consistent, but
its water content is different owing to the difference in the
occurrence environment. Therefore, the dry density of the
loess samples in this study was 1.54 ± 0.01 g/cm3, and
the initial water content was controlled to 10%, 15%,
20%, and 25%, respectively.
The undisturbed loess samples were prepared by the cut-
ting ring method. First, loess samples with different water
content and consistent dry density were taken on-site,
sealed, and shipped to the laboratory. Then, the undis-
turbed loess samples were directly cut into the prescribed
shape with cutting rings and wrapped with plastic film.
The basic physical properties of the undisturbed loess sam-
ples are shown in Table 2. Finally, the undisturbed loess
samples were sealed and cured for more than 48 h to pre-
pare for the subsequent wet-dry cycle tests.
The remolded loess samples were prepared by the static
compaction method. First, the loess samples were dried,
 J. Zhu et al. Soils and Foundations 62 (2022) 101165

Table 1
Some properties of the Q2 loess
used in this study.
Property Value
Specific gravity 2.72
Dry density/(g/cm3) 1.54
Free swelling rate/% 11
Atterberg limits
Liquid limit/% 31.18
Plastic limit/% 18.69
Plasticity index 12.49
Particle size distribution
Sand 0.075–2 mm/% 1.6
Silt 0.005–0.075 mm/% 76.7
Clay less than 0.005 mm/% 21.7
Main minerals
Quartz/% 51
Mica/% 20
Feldspar/% 10
Calcite/% 4
Dolomite/% 2
Clay minerals/% 13
Main chemical
compositions
Naþ þ K þ þ Ca2þ þ Mg2þ / 19.2
(mg/kg)

SO2
4 þ Cl /(mg/kg) 5.9

crushed, and passed through a 2 mm sieve. Then, the dried

loess samples were humidified with water, and the water
content was controlled to 10 ± 1%, 15 ± 1%, 20 ± 1%,
and 25 ± 1%, respectively, and the loess samples passed
through a 2 mm sieve. Then, the loess samples were pressed
into the cutting rings based on the set dry density (1.54 ± 0.
01 g/cm3) and water content. Finally, the remolded loess Fig. 3. Some physical properties of the Q2 loess (a) Particle size
distribution (b) Categorization based on plasticity properties.
samples were sealed and cured for more than 48 h to pre-
pare for the subsequent wet-dry cycle tests.
The preparation of saturated undisturbed loess samples 35000
Q:Quartz M:Mica F:Feldspar C:Calcite D:Dolomite
was to saturate the undisturbed loess samples with a given CM:Clay minerals
number of wet-dry cycles. Many studies vacuumized loess 30000 Q2 loess
Q
samples before saturation, and assumed that vacuum satu-
25000
ration had little effect on the micro–macro structure of
Intensity / a.u

loess samples (Jiang et al., 2011; Fan et al., 2017; Xu 20000

et al., 2020a; Xu et al., 2020c). Therefore, the undisturbed
loess samples were vacuumized before saturation in this 15000
study. First, filter paper and porous stone were placed on
10000
and below the undisturbed loess sample and clamped
Q
together in the steel fixture. Then, the undisturbed loess 5000 M
CM CM
FC
Q
Q
samples were placed in a vacuum saturator and saturated F D
M Q
with distilled water. Finally, the saturated undisturbed 0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80
loess samples were sealed to prepare for the subsequent
one-dimensional consolidation tests. 2
The longitudinal wave velocity is affected by the dry Fig. 4. Mineralogical compositions of the Q2 loess.
density, water content, and internal structure of soil
(Fratta et al., 2005; Liu et al., 2020; Zhang et al., 2021). 2.3. Wet-dry cycle tests
The longitudinal wave velocities of all prepared samples
were tested prior to the wet-dry cycle tests. The same type Previous studies have demonstrated that the mechanical
of samples must satisfy the conditions of similar longitudi- properties of many loess tended to be stable after two wet-
nal wave velocities. dry cycles (Ni et al., 2020; Xu et al., 2020b; Bai et al., 2021;

4
 J. Zhu et al. Soils and Foundations 62 (2022) 101165

Table 2
Basic physical properties of undisturbed loess samples and test procedure for wet-dry cycles.
Target initial water Actal initial water Initial dry density/ Specific Initial void Initial saturation Cycle Cycle
content/% content/% (g/cm3) gravity ratio degree number amplitude
10 9.2 1.54 2.72 0.77 32.66 0 –
10.7 1.55 2.72 0.75 38.56 1 10–28.1%
10.4 1.55 2.72 0.75 37.48 2
9.4 1.54 2.72 0.77 33.37 3
15 15.5 1.54 2.72 0.77 55.02 0 –
14.9 1.54 2.72 0.77 52.89 1 10–28.1%
14.2 1.54 2.72 0.77 50.41 2
15.8 1.55 2.72 0.75 56.93 3
20 19.5 1.54 2.72 0.77 69.22 0 –
19.7 1.54 2.72 0.77 69.93 1 10–28.1%
19.2 1.54 2.72 0.77 68.16 2
20.7 1.54 2.72 0.77 73.48 3
25 25.3 1.53 2.72 0.78 88.48 0 –
25.9 1.54 2.72 0.77 91.94 1 10–28.1%
24.3 1.54 2.72 0.77 86.26 2
24.1 1.55 2.72 0.75 86.84 3

Qin et al., 2021; Ye et al., 2021). Although some loess came
from different places and periods with different disturbance
states, the number of wet-dry cycles in which the mechanical
properties began to stabilize all varied from two to one due
to the increase in initial water content or cycle amplitude.
This indicated that the type of loess has little effect on the
number of wet-dry cycles in which the mechanical proper-
ties begin to stabilize. Therefore, although the undisturbed
Q2 loess was not taken as the research object in the previous
wet-dry cycle studies, this study could refer to the cycle set-
tings in these studies, with the cycles of 0, 1, 2, and 3, respec-
tively. In addition, through extensive exploration and
sampling of Q2 loess at the research site, it was found that
the minimum water content of Q2 loess was 10.8% near
the groundwater level, and the water content of saturated
Q2 loess was between 27.8% and 28.1%. Hence, the maxi-
mum water content was set to 28.1% and the minimum
water content was set to 10% during the wet-dry cycles.
The pre-test was carried out prior to the wet-dry cycle
test. In the pre-test, after completing the given number of
wet-dry cycles, the diameters of the loess sample at 5 differ-
ent heights (including the top and bottom surfaces) were
measured with vernier calipers, with 3 places at each
height, totaling 15 places. The diameters at different heights
were roughly the same, and the difference between the aver-
age diameter of 15 places and that of 6 places (3 places on
the top surface and 3 places on the bottom surface) was
small, less than 1 mm. Therefore, in calculating the volume
of the loess sample in the wet-dry cycle test, the calculated
diameter was the average diameter of 3 places on the top
surface and 3 places on the bottom surface, which did
not need to be corrected. Meanwhile, the calculated height
was the average height of 6 places on the loess sample. In
addition, in the pre-test, it was found that when the loess
sample was sealed for 48 h after humidifying or dehumid-
ifying to the target water content, the difference in water
content at different parts in the loess sample was less than
1%, and the volume reached stability, achieving water
5
homogenization and equilibrium. Hence, in the wet-dry
cycle test, the sealing time was determined to be 48 h after
humidifying or dehumidifying to the target water content.
A complete wet-dry cycle process mainly consists of six
operation steps, as shown in Fig. 5. The wet-dry cycle test
was carried out under non-boundary constraints. Due to
the low content of clay minerals (Fig. 4, Table 1), the vol-
ume measurement showed that even without boundary
constraints, the loess samples exhibited small swelling
and shrinkage deformation in the wet-dry cycle test, and
the variation in dry density was less than 0.03 g/cm3.
2.4. One-dimensional consolidation tests
The one-dimensional consolidation tests were used to
measure the compression deformation of the loess samples
with given wet-dry cycles. The test instrument was a WG
triple high-pressure consolidometer apparatus (Fig. 6).
During the test, the pressure transmitting plate was sur-
rounded by wet towels to avoid evaporation of water in
the loess sample (Saengthongthip and Nuntasarn, 2019),
and the pre net vertical stress of the loess sample was
1 kPa. The net vertical stress of 12.5, 25, 50, 100, 200,
300, 400, and 800 kPa was applied to the loess sample in
sequence, and the vertical deformation was recorded at
the specified time node. The deformation rate under each
level of net vertical stress was not more than 0.01 mm/h
as the stability standard, and the net vertical stress was
increased step by step until the end of the test. After the
test, the void ratio corresponding to each level of net verti-
cal stress was calculated. The one-dimensional consolida-
tion tests were carried out per the Chinese National
Standard GB/T50123-2019 (SAC, 2019).
2.5. Microstructure tests
The central parts of the undisturbed Q2 loess samples
with 0 and 3 wet-dry cycles were cut carefully into cubes
 J. Zhu et al.
of less than 2 cm3 and then dehydrated in a freeze dryer
(FD-2A) using liquid nitrogen at a temperature below
70 °C. Subsequently, the microstructure of the loess sam-
ples was tested by scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
and nitrogen physical adsorption.
2.6. SWCC tests
The undisturbed Q2 loess was an unsaturated soil. When
subjected to wet-dry cycles, structure variations could lead
to variations in unsaturated properties. The SWCC is an
essential unsaturated property, and its difference is essen-
tially caused by the structural difference of the soil (Wang
et al., 2013; Zhu et al., 2022). The pore structure and pore
size are the main factors affecting the SWCC. Thus, by ana-
lyzing the influence of wet-dry cycles on the SWCC of
undisturbed Q2 loess, the influence of wet-dry cycles on
the structure could be discussed.
The SWCCs of undisturbed Q 2 loess with an initial
water content of 25% under 0, 1, 2, and 3 wet-dry cycles
and undisturbed Q2 loess with an initial water content of
10% under 0 and 3 wet-dry cycles were determined by the
filter paper method (Leong et al., 2002; Bicalho et al.,
2015; Zhang et al., 2017). In the tests, the loess samples
were divided into 6 types, 8 of each type, totaling 48
loess samples. The same type of loess samples were air-
dried or humidified, and the water content was con-
trolled to 7%, 10%, 13%, 15%, 17%, 20%, 23%, and
25%, respectively. Once the target water content was
reached, the loess samples were sealed for 48 h for water
homogenization in preparation for subsequent SWCC
tests.
One of the most common ash-less filter papers, i.e.,
50 mm diameter Whatman No. 42 (W42), was adopted
and pre-dried in the oven. To obtain matrix suction, three
stacked filter papers (one W42 filter paper sandwiched
between two 60 mm diameter protective filter papers) were
carefully placed in direct contact with the bottom of the
loess sample. In addition, a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) block
(50 mm  50 mm  20 mm, about 60 g) was placed on the
top surface of the loess sample. The PVC block was used
for two reasons: to increase contact between the bottom
of the loess sample and the filter papers for matric suction
measurement, and to shorten the equilibration time by
reducing the space in the airtight container. Subsequently,
the whole loess sample and filter papers were transferred
into a 300 mL (90 mm in diameter and 50 mm in height)
airtight plastic container for 14 d. During this period, the
dry filter paper in the container was initially allowed to
absorb water until it reached a hydraulic equilibrium with
the loess sample. At the end of this test, the loess samples
and W42 filter papers were dried at 105 °C to measure their
water content, and the corresponding matrix suction values
were calculated.
The inferred soil suction depends highly on the water
retention curve (also known as the calibration curve) of
the W42 filter paper, which defines the relationship
6
Soils and Foundations 62 (2022) 101165
between the matrix suction, wm, and its water content, wf
(Leong et al., 2002; Bicalho et al., 2015; Zhang et al.,
2017). Previous studies have shown that wm calibration
curves of W42 filter paper are similar (Bicalho et al.,
2015). Therefore, the equations proposed by Leong et al.
(2002) were used in this study to estimate wm, expressed
as follows:


2:909  0:0229wf ðwf P 47%Þ
logwm ¼ ð1Þ
4:945  0:0673wf ðwf < 47%Þ
3. Test results
3.1. Compression behavior
3.1.1. Compression curve
The void ratio of undisturbed Q2 loess decreased rapidly
at first and then slowly with the increase in net vertical
stress, as well as with the increase in wet-dry cycles
(Fig. 7). Before the wet-dry cycles, under the same net ver-
tical stress, the void ratio of undisturbed Q2 loess gradually
decreased and the compression deformation gradually
increased with the increase in initial water content. When
the initial water content increased, the compression curves
of undisturbed Q2 loess under 1, 2, and 3 wet-dry cycles
tended to coincide, and the void ratios of undisturbed Q2
loess under 1, 2 and 3 wet-dry cycles were all closer to that
under 0 wet-dry cycles under the same net vertical stress. In
particular, the compression curves of undisturbed Q2 loess
with an initial water content of 25% under 1, 2, and 3 wet-
dry cycles were close, and the maximum difference between
their void ratios remained about 0.02 under the same net
vertical stress. This indicated that the sensitivity of wet-
dry cycles to the void ratio and compression deformation
of undisturbed Q2 loess decreased with the increase in ini-
tial water content.
To intuitively express the variation of void ratio with
net vertical stress and wet-dry cycles, a three-
dimensional surface was established with void ratio, net
vertical stress, and wet-dry cycles as three-dimensional
variables (Fig. 8). The angle between the three-
dimensional space surface and the horizontal plane
decreased with the increase in initial water content, again
indicating that the sensitivity of wet-dry cycles to the void
ratio and compression deformation of undisturbed Q2
loess gradually decreased as the initial water content
increased. Otherwise, the decreasing range of the void
ratio in the undisturbed Q2 loess under the wet-dry cycles
showed a trend of first increasing and then gradually flat-
tening with the increase in net vertical stress. And the
decreasing range of the void ratio under the net vertical
stress also showed the same variation with the increase
in wet-dry cycles. The effect of wet-dry cycles on the void
ratio and compression deformation was less than that of
net vertical stress, and the difference between the two
 J. Zhu et al. Soils and Foundations 62 (2022) 101165

Fig. 5. Wet-dry cycle process.

3.1.2. Void ratio decrement

The decrease in the void ratio of the undisturbed Q2
loess under the net vertical stress varied with the wet-dry
cycles and initial water content. To quantitatively analyze
the influence of wet-dry cycles and initial water content
on the void ratio and compression deformation of undis-
turbed Q2 loess, the void ratio decrement was defined
(Jiang et al., 2014b; Mu et al., 2020; Zuo et al., 2020).
The void ratio decrement refers to the variation range of
the void ratio in the undisturbed Q2 loess under the net ver-
tical stress, and its expression is as follows:
eo  ef
De ¼  100; ð2Þ
eo

where De is the void ratio decrement, %; eo is the void ratio

at a net vertical stress of 12.5 kPa; and ef is the void ratio at
a net vertical stress of 800 kPa.
For undisturbed Q2 loess with initial water contents of
10% and 15%, the void ratio decrement showed an increas-
ing trend from 0 wet-dry cycles to 2 wet-dry cycles, and its
increasing range gradually decreased (Fig. 9). However,
after 2 wet-dry cycles, the void ratio decrement remained
unchanged. For undisturbed Q2 loess with initial water
contents of 20% and 25%, the void ratio decrement
increased from 0 wet-dry cycles to 1 wet-dry cycle, but
Fig. 6. Structure of the consolidometer apparatus (modified from SAC,
2019).
remained constant after 1 wet-dry cycle. Combined with
Fig. 7, it could be shown that with the increase in initial
water content, the number of wet-dry cycles in which the
void ratio decrement and compression deformation of
effects gradually increased with the increase in initial
undisturbed Q2 loess began to stabilize had a decreasing
water content.
trend. It also showed that with the increase in initial water
7
 J. Zhu et al. Soils and Foundations 62 (2022) 101165

content, the sensitivity of wet-dry cycles to the void ratio (a) 0.78
decrement and compression deformation of undisturbed 0 cycles
0.76 1 cycle
Q2 loess gradually decreased. Moreover, the void ratio 2 cycles
0.74
decrement of undisturbed Q2 loess increased with the 3 cycles

increase in initial water content during 0 and 1 wet-dry 0.72

Void ratio
cycles, but tended to coincide for different initial water con- 0.70
tent during 2 and 3 wet-dry cycles. Combined with Fig. 7, it 0.68
could be shown that the sensitivity of initial water content 0.66
to the void ratio decrement and compression deformation 0.64
of undisturbed Q2 loess gradually decreased with the 0.62
increase in wet-dry cycles. 0.60
0 200 400 600 800 1000
3.1.3. Compression coefficient Net vertical stress / kPa
The compressibility of undisturbed Q2 loess was evalu- (b) 0.78
0 cycles
ated by the compression coefficient within the range of 0.76 1 cycle
100 kPa and 200 kPa for net vertical stress (Fig. 10) 0.74
2 cycles
3 cycles
(SAC, 2011). At the same initial water content, the com-
0.72
pression coefficient of undisturbed Q2 loess showed a sharp

Void ratio
0.70
increase trend from 0 wet-dry cycles to 2 wet-dry cycles, but
0.68
stabilized after 2 wet-dry cycles. With the increase in wet-
dry cycles, the difference in the compression coefficient of 0.66
undisturbed Q2 loess with different initial water content 0.64
decreased, that is, the sensitivity of initial water content 0.62
to the compression coefficient of undisturbed Q2 loess 0.60
0 200 400 600 800 1000
decreased. The number of wet-dry cycles in which the com-
Net vertical stress / kPa
pression coefficient began to stabilize was distinct from the
number of wet-dry cycles in which the compression defor- (c) 0.78
0 cycles
mation began to stabilize. This was mainly because the 0.76 1 cycle
2 cycles
range of the void ratio was different in the two analysis pro- 0.74 3 cycles
cesses, resulting in different stable variation ranges (Jiang 0.72
Void ratio

et al., 2014b; Xu and Coop, 2016; Zuo et al., 2020). In addi- 0.70
tion, under the same wet-dry cycles, with the increase in ini- 0.68
tial water content, the compression coefficient of
0.66
undisturbed Q2 loess increased gradually, but the increas-
0.64
ing range decreased gradually. With the increase in initial
water content, the sensitivity of wet-dry cycles to the com- 0.62

pression coefficient of undisturbed Q2 loess gradually 0.60

0 200 400 600 800 1000
decreased. Net vertical stress / kPa
Although the compression coefficient of undisturbed Q2 (d) 0.78
loess increased under wet-dry cycles, it was still between 0.1 0 cycles
and 0.5 MPa1. So the undisturbed Q2 loess under wet-dry 0.76 1 cycle
2 cycles
cycles belonged to medium compressive soil (SAC, 2011). 0.74 3 cycles
During construction near the groundwater level of the Q2 0.72
Void ratio

loess strata, the compression coefficient of the undisturbed 0.70

Q2 loess after 2 wet-dry cycles should be considered in the 0.68
calculation of the foundation settlement during engineering 0.66
design (Table 3). 0.64
0.62
3.2. Structure
0.60
0 200 400 600 800 1000
3.2.1. Structural parameter Net vertical stress / kPa
Soil structure is comprised of soil particles and pores
Fig. 7. Compression curves (a) 10% initial water content (b) 15% initial
connected by cementing materials, including particle water content (c) 20% initial water content (d) 25% initial water content.
arrangement, particle connection, and pore distribution
characteristics (Dexter, 1988; Alonso et al., 1990). The
structural parameter is the quantitative parameter obtained which can comprehensively reflect and characterize soil
by soil mechanics methods to characterize soil structure, particle connection and arrangement at a macro-level
8
 J. Zhu et al. Soils and Foundations 62 (2022) 101165

(a) (Shao et al., 2008; Wu et al., 2020). The larger the struc-
0.7630
tural parameter, the stronger the soil structure. The strain
0.78 0.7497 structural parameter was selected for structural quantifica-
0.76 0.7364
tion as follows:
0.7231
0.74
ss =so sr  ss
0.7098
0.72 0.6965
mp ¼ ¼ ; ð3Þ
Void ratio

0.70 0.6832 so =sr s2o

0.6699
0.68
0.6566
0.66 0.6433 where So is the strain of the undisturbed sample under a
0.64 0.6300 certain stress, %; Ss is the strain of the saturated undis-
0 800
0.62
1 500
600
700
turbed sample under a certain stress, %; and Sr is the strain

Pa
W

400
of the remodeled sample under a certain stress, %.
/k
et

ss
-d

300
tre
ry

2 ls
cy

200
ca
cl
es

rti

With the increase in initial water content, the number of

ve
et
10

N
0
3 0

wet-dry cycles in which the structural parameter of undis-

(b)
turbed Q2 loess began to stabilize had a decreasing trend,
0.7605
0.78 0.7477 and the sensitivity of wet-dry cycles to the structural
0.76 0.7349 parameter of undisturbed Q2 loess gradually decreased
0.7221
0.74
0.7093
(Fig. 11). In particular, for the undisturbed Q2 loess with
0.72 0.6965 an initial water content of 25%, when the net vertical stress
Void ratio

0.70 0.6837 was small (less than 25 kPa), the structural parameter had a
0.6709
0.68
0.6581
small decreasing trend from 0 wet-dry cycles to 1 wet-dry
0.66 0.6453 cycle, and entered a stable state after 1 wet-dry cycle. How-
0.64
0 800
0.6325
ever, when the net vertical stress was large (greater than
0.62 700
1 500
600 25 kPa), the influence of wet-dry cycles on the structural
Pa
W

400
/k

parameter was small. Besides, with the increase in wet-

et
-d

ss

300
ry

tre

2
cy

ls

200
cl

ca
es

rti

dry cycles, the variation in the structural parameter gradu-

ve
et
10

N
0
3 0

(c) ally decreased under the influence of initial water content,

that is, the sensitivity of initial water content to the struc-
0.7645
0.78 0.7521 tural parameter of undisturbed Q2 loess gradually
0.76 0.7398 decreased.
0.7274
0.74
0.7151
The structural parameter of undisturbed Q2 loess under
0.72 0.7027 different wet-dry cycles varies with the net vertical stress, as
Void ratio

0.70 0.6904 shown in Fig. 12. With the same wet-dry cycles and initial
0.6781
0.68
0.6657
water content, the structural parameter of undisturbed Q2
0.66 0.6533 loess first decreased rapidly and then stabilized with the
0.64 0.6410
20 800
0.6 700
600
1 500
18
W

400
Pa
et

/k
-d

300
ry

ss

2
tre
cy

200
cl

ls
es

ca
rti
ve
10

et
0

N
3 0

(d) 16
Void ratio decrement / %

0.7700
0.78 0.7569 14
0.76 0.7439
0.7309
0.74
0.7178
0.72 0.7047
12
Void ratio

0.70 0.6917
0.6786
0.68
0.6656
10 w=10%
0.66 0.6526 w=15%
0.64 0.6395 w=20%
0.62
0
70 0
800 8 w=25%
600
1 50 0
W

40 0
Pa
et

/k
-d

300
ry

ss

2
tre
cy

200
6
cl

ls
es

ca
rti
ve
10

0 1 2 3
et
0

N
3 0

Fig. 8. Variation of void ratio with wet-dry cycles and net vertical stress Wet-dry cycles
(a) 10% initial water content (b) 15% initial water content (c) 20% initial
water content (d) 25% initial water content. Fig. 9. Variation of void ratio decrement with wet-dry cycles.

9

increase in net vertical stress. The decreasing range was
negatively correlated with initial water content and wet-
dry cycles. In addition, it could be found from Fig. 12 that
when the slope of the curve was less than 0.002, the struc-
tural parameter tended to vary smoothly with the net ver-
tical stress. Thus, the curve with a slope greater than 0.002
was assumed to be the reduced structural parameter seg-
ment, and the curve with a slope less than 0.002 was the
stable structural parameter segment. With the increase in
initial water content, the net vertical stress at the boundary
between the reduced structural parameter segment and
stable structural parameter segment decreased continu-
ously. For undisturbed Q2 loess with initial water contents
of 15%, 20%, and 25%, the net vertical stress at the bound-
ary was 100, 50, and 25 kPa, respectively. For undisturbed
Q2 loess with an initial water content of 10%, the net verti-
cal stress at the boundary was 200 kPa under 0 and 1 wet-
dry cycles, and 100 kPa under 2 and 3 wet-dry cycles.
3.2.2. Particle cementation strength and particle
arrangement strength
In the process of applying the net vertical stress, the
structural parameter in the initial stage (small net vertical
stress) mainly reflected the particle cementation strength
(Shao et al., 2004, 2008; Wen and Yan, 2014; Wu et al.,
2020). The larger the structural parameter, the better the
particle cementation strength. However, in the later stage
(high net vertical stress), the particle cementation strength
was partially lost, the particle arrangement strength began
to play a role, and the structural parameter mainly reflected
the dual effects of the particle cementation strength and
particle arrangement strength (Shao et al., 2004, 2008;
Wen and Yan, 2014; Wu et al., 2020). Hence, the variation
in the particle cementation strength could be judged by
analyzing the structural parameter in the initial stage of
the net vertical stress application process in Fig. 12. Wet-
dry cycles and initial water content both reduced the parti-
cle cementation strength of undisturbed Q2 loess. With the
0.28
0.26
Compression coefficient / MPa-1
0.24
0.22
0.20
0.18
0.16
0.14
0.12
0.10
0 1 2 3
Wet-dry cycles
Fig. 10. Variation of compression coefficient with wet-dry cycles.
J. Zhu et al. Soils and Foundations 62 (2022) 101165
Table 3
Compression coefficient.
Initial water content/% Compression coefficient/MPa1
0 cycles 1 cycle 2 cycles 3 cycles
10% 0.1210 0.1974 0.2509 0.2428
15% 0.1449 0.2208 0.2596 0.2643
20% 0.1763 0.2231 0.2651 0.2669
25% 0.1804 0.2322 0.2658 0.2667
increase in wet-dry cycles, the decreasing range of the par-
ticle cementation strength under the influence of initial
water content gradually decreased. With the increase in ini-
tial water content, the decreasing range of the particle
cementation strength under the wet-dry cycles gradually
decreased, and the number of wet-dry cycles in which the
particle cementation strength began to stabilize had a
decreasing trend. For undisturbed Q2 loess with initial
water contents of 10% and 15%, the number of cycles for
the particle cementation strength to stabilize was 2. For
undisturbed Q2 loess with initial water contents of 20%
and 25%, the number of cycles for the particle cementation
strength to stabilize was 1. In addition, the particle
arrangement strength varied little during the application
of net vertical stress (Shao et al., 2004, 2008; Wen and
Yan, 2014; Wu et al., 2020). By comparing the structural
parameters in the initial and later stages of the net vertical
stress application process, it could be found that the struc-
ture strength was mainly dominated by the particle cemen-
tation strength, the particle arrangement strength played a
secondary role, and the particle cementation strength was
much greater than the particle arrangement strength. The
influence of wet-dry cycles and initial water content on
the structure of undisturbed Q2 loess was mainly to vary
the particle cementation strength.
By analyzing the compression curves in Fig. 7, it was
found that in the initial stage of net vertical stress applica-
tion, the compression deformation was mainly dominated
by the particle cementation strength in the undisturbed
Q2 loess structure (Shao et al., 2004; Wen and Yan,
2014). Under the low net vertical stress, the variation of
compression deformation with wet-dry cycles was in accor-
dance with that of particle cementation strength with wet-
dry cycles, and the variation of compression deformation
with initial water content was also the same as that of par-
ticle cementation strength with initial water content. Fur-
thermore, in the later stage of net vertical stress
application, the compression deformation was mainly
dominated by the joint action of particle cementation
w=10%
strength and particle arrangement strength in the undis-
w=15%
w=20% turbed Q2 loess structure (quantitatively expressed by the
w=25% structural parameter) (Shao et al., 2004; Wen and Yan,
2014). Under the high net vertical stress, the variation of
compression deformation with wet-dry cycles was consis-
tent with that of structural parameter with wet-dry cycles,
and the variation of compression deformation with initial
10
 J. Zhu et al. Soils and Foundations 62 (2022) 101165

(a) 14 (a) 14
P=12.5 kPa
0 cycles
12 P=25 kPa 12 1 cycle
Structural parameter

P=50 kPa

Structural parameter
2 cycles
10 P=100kPa
P=200 kPa
10 3 cycles
P=300kPa
8 P=400 kPa 8
P=800 kPa
6 6
4
4
200 kPa
100 kPa
2
2
0
0 1 2 3 0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900
Wet-dry cycles
Net vertical stress / kPa
(b) 14 (b) 14
P=12.5 kPa
12 P=25 kPa 0 cycles
12
Structural parameter

P=50 kPa 1 cycle

Structural parameter
10 P=100kPa 2 cycles
P=200 kPa 10 3 cycles
P=300kPa
8 P=400 kPa
P=800 kPa
8
6
6
4
4
2 100 kPa
2
0
0 1 2 3 0
Wet-dry cycles 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900
Net vertical stress / kPa
(c) 14
P=12.5 kPa (c) 14
12 P=25 kPa
0 cycles
Structural parameter

P=50 kPa 12
P=100kPa 1 cycle
10
Structural parameter

P=200 kPa 2 cycles

P=300kPa 10 3 cycles
8 P=400 kPa
P=800 kPa 8
6
6
4
4
2
2 50 kPa
0
0 1 2 3
Wet-dry cycles 0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900
(d) 14 Net vertical stress / kPa
P=12.5 kPa (d) 14
12 P=25 kPa
Structural parameter

P=50 kPa 0 cycles

10 P=100kPa 12 1 cycle
Structural parameter

P=200 kPa 2 cycles

P=300kPa 10 3 cycles
8 P=400 kPa
P=800 kPa
6 8

4 6

2 4

0 2 25 kPa
0 1 2 3
Wet-dry cycles 0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900
Fig. 11. Variation of structural parameter with wet-dry cycles (a) 10% Net vertical stress / kPa
initial water content (b) 15% initial water content (c) 20% initial water
content (d) 25% initial water content. Fig. 12. Variation of structural parameter with net vertical stress (a) 10%
initial water content (b) 15% initial water content (c) 20% initial water
content (d) 25% initial water content.

11
 J. Zhu et al.
water content was in line with that of structural parameter
with initial water content.
When the net vertical stress was greater than 25 kPa, the
wet-dry cycles had little effect on the structural parameter
of the undisturbed Q2 loess, that is, the wet-dry cycles
had little effect on the particle cementation strength of
the undisturbed Q2 loess. In undisturbed loess, particles
are in contact with adjacent particles through cementation
bonds. The structure of undisturbed loess is largely stabi-
lized by cementation bonds between particles other than
matrix suction or meniscus (Barden et al., 1973; Gao,
1981; Lei, 1987; Derbyshire and Mellors, 1988; Jiang
et al., 2014a). Before the wet-dry cycles, the net vertical
stress of 25 kPa was too small to destroy a large number
of cementation bonds, and the undisturbed Q2 loess had
good particle cementation strength and high structural
parameter. However, when the net vertical stress was
greater than 25 kPa, many cementation bonds were
destroyed, and the degree of damage to the cementation
bonds increased with the increase in net vertical stress
(Jiang et al., 2014a; Shao et al., 2018). So the particle
cementation strength of the undisturbed Q2 loess before
the wet-dry cycles was low under the net vertical stress
(greater than 25 kPa), and gradually decreased with the
increase in net vertical stress. Therefore, the weakening
effect of wet-dry cycles on the low particle cementation
strength was not obvious under the net vertical stress
(greater than 25 kPa), that is, the wet-dry cycles had little
effect on the structural parameter of undisturbed Q2 loess
when the net vertical stress was greater than 25 kPa.
3.3. SWCC
The volumetric water content of undisturbed Q2 loess all
decreased with the increase in matrix suction, and the
decreasing range gradually decreased (Figs. 13 and 14).
With the same volumetric water content, the matrix suction
of undisturbed Q2 loess gradually decreased with the
increase in wet-dry cycles, indicating that the water reten-
tion of undisturbed Q2 loess decreased under the wet-dry
cycles (Fig. 13). The SWCCs under 2 and 3 wet-dry cycles
coincided, thus the water retention of undisturbed Q2 loess
was stable after 2 wet-dry cycles. Furthermore, under the
same volumetric water content, the matrix suction of
undisturbed Q2 loess gradually decreased with the increase
in initial water content, indicating that the water retention
of undisturbed Q2 loess decreased with the increase in ini-
tial water content at the same wet-dry cycles (Fig. 14).
Under the same volumetric water content, the variation
in the matrix suction of the undisturbed Q2 loess under
the influence of wet-dry cycles decreased when the initial
water content increased, and the variation in the matrix
suction under the influence of initial water content also
decreased when the wet-dry cycles increased. Therefore,
the sensitivity of wet-dry cycles to the water retention grad-
ually decreased with the increase in initial water content,
and the sensitivity of initial water content to the water
12
Soils and Foundations 62 (2022) 101165
retention gradually decreased with the increase in wet-dry
cycles.
Three commonly used models, namely van Genuchten
model (Genuchten, 1980), Fredlund-Xing model
(Fredlund et al., 1994), and Gardner model (Gardner,
1958), were selected to fit the SWCCs obtained from the
tests. It was found that the curve based on the Gardner
model was poorly fitted, while the fitting using the van
Genuchten model and Fredlund-Xing model showed better
performance with the correlation coefficients above 0.99.
Due to limited space, only the fitting curves of these three
models to the SWCC of undisturbed Q2 loess with an initial
water content of 25% under 3 wet-dry cycles are presented
in Fig. 15. The correlation coefficient of the van Genuchten
model was 0.995 and that of the Fredlund-Xing model was
0.993.
The van Genuchten model and Fredlund-Xing model
are suitable for silt and clay, while the Gardner model is
generally applicable to coarse-grained soils (Gardner,
1958; Genuchten, 1980; Fredlund et al., 1994). The undis-
turbed Q2 loess is mainly composed of silt and clay, which
belongs to silty loess (Fig. 3). Thus, the van Genuchten
model and Fredlund-Xing model were suitable for fitting
the SWCCs of undisturbed Q2 loess under wet-dry cycles.
The van Genuchten model is expressed as follows
(Genuchten, 1980):
hs  hr
h¼h þ hr ; ð4Þ
wb ið11bÞ
1þ a
where h is the volumetric water content, %; w is the matrix
suction, kPa; a and b are the fitting parameters; hs is the
saturated volumetric water content, %; and hr is the resid-
ual volumetric water content, %.
The Fredlund-Xing model is given by the following
equation (Fredlund et al., 1994):
   m
lnð1 þ w=wr Þ 1
h¼ 1 hs ; ð5Þ
lnð1 þ 106 =wr Þ ln½e þ ðw=cÞn 
where c, n, and m are the fitting parameters; and wr is the
matrix suction at residual volumetric water content, kPa.
The fitting parameters of the SWCCs of the undisturbed
Q2 loess under wet-dry cycles are presented in Tables 4 and
5. In the van Genuchten model, the wet-dry cycles and ini-
tial water content had a large effect on a, but little on b. In
the Fredlund-Xing model, the wet-dry cycles and initial
water content had a great influence on c, but little on n
and m. In particular, both a and c were negatively corre-
lated with the wet-dry cycles and initial water content.
4. Discussions
4.1. Applicability of test results
In this study, the wet-dry cycles were carried out without
boundary constraints. However, the in-situ Q2 loess near
the groundwater level undergoes wet-dry cycles under
 J. Zhu et al. Soils and Foundations 62 (2022) 101165

45 thickness, the displacement constraint has little effect on

w=25%, 0 cycles the structure variation and shrinkage deformation of the
40 w=25%, 1 cycle soil. The critical thickness of homogeneous Xiashu loess
Volumetric water content / %

w=25%, 2 cycles was 1.5 cm (Zeng et al., 2019). The loess samples in this
35 w=25%, 3 cycles
study and Xiashu loess were both of aeolian origin with lit-
30 tle difference in particle size and mineral composition
25 (Table 1) (Zeng et al., 2019; Lin et al., 2021). Hence, the
shrinkage properties of loess samples were not significantly
20 different from those of Xiashu loess, and the critical thick-
ness of homogeneous loess samples should be about
15
1.5 cm. Since the thickness of the loess sample was greater
10 than the critical thickness, the displacement constraint had
little influence on the structure variation and shrinkage
5 deformation of the loess sample during the drying process.
1 10 100 1000 10000 10000
That is to say, there was little difference between the effect
Matrix suction / kPa
of drying process on the structure of loess samples under
Fig. 13. Variation of SWCC with wet-dry cycles. non-boundary constraints and that on the structure of in-
situ Q2 loess under displacement constraints and small con-
fining pressure.
45 During the humidification process, the swelling defor-
w=10%, 0 cycles
40 w=25%, 0 cycles mation of the loess sample without boundary constraints
Volumetric water content / %

w=10%, 3 cycles was larger than that of the in-situ Q2 loess under boundary
35 w=25%, 3 cycles constraints. However, due to the small swelling deforma-
30 tion of the loess sample, it could be inferred that the
boundary constraint has little effect on the swelling defor-
25 mation of the in-situ Q2 loess during the humidification
20 process, and then the effect of the humidification process
on the swelling deformation of the loess sample under
15 non-boundary constraints and that on the swelling defor-
mation of the in-situ Q2 loess under boundary constraints
10
were not significantly different. Therefore, there was little
5 difference between the swelling and shrinkage deformation
1 10 100 1000 10000 100000
of the loess sample in the wet-dry cycles without boundary
Matrix suction / kPa constraints and that of the in-situ Q2 loess under the wet-
Fig. 14. SWCCs under different wet-dry cycles and initial water content.
dry cycles with displacement constraints and small confin-
ing pressure. The influence of wet-dry cycles on the com-
pression behavior and structure of loess samples without
boundary constraints. It has been found that the influence boundary constraints can be used to reflect that on the
of wet-dry cycles on the mechanical properties of samples
under non-boundary constraints was greatly different from
that under displacement constraints and large confining
45 Measured value (w=25%, 3 cycles)
pressure, but it had little difference from that under dis-
Fitting curve of van Genuchten model
placement constraints and small confining pressure 40
Volumetric water content / %

Fitting curve of Fredlund-Xing model

(Zangl and Likos, 2016; Yin et al., 2017; Liang et al., Fitting curve of Gardner model
35
2018; Hu et al., 2019). It could be inferred that the com-
pression behavior and structure of loess samples affected 30
by wet-dry cycles under non-boundary constraints might
25
not be significantly different from those of in-situ Q2 loess
affected by wet-dry cycles under displacement constraints 20
and small confining pressure.
Wet-dry cycles include drying and humidification pro- 15
cesses. During the drying process, the influence of displace- 10
ment constraint on the structure variation and shrinkage
deformation of soil under small confining pressure weakens 5
1 10 100 1000 10000 100000
gradually with the increase in soil thickness (Zeng et al.,
Matrix suction / kPa
2019; Al-Jeznawi et al., 2021; Lin et al., 2021; Cuadrado
et al., 2022). If the soil thickness is greater than the critical Fig. 15. Fitting of the SWCC.
13
 J. Zhu et al.
compression behavior and structure of in-situ Q2 loess
under displacement constraints and small confining pres-
sure. This was not contradictory to the effect of boundary
constraints on samples under wet-dry cycles in previous
studies (Zangl and Likos, 2016; Yin et al., 2017; Liang
et al., 2018; Hu et al., 2019). Moreover, the test results of
this study are applicable to in-situ Q2 loess with displace-
ment constraints and small confining pressure, such as
the undisturbed Q2 loess located in the surface of the slope.
4.2. Microscopic morphology
The strength of the undisturbed Q2 loess structure was
mainly dominated by the particle cementation strength,
and the influence of wet-dry cycles and initial water content
on the structure strength was mainly to vary the particle
cementation strength. Consequently, in this microstructure
study, the influence mechanism of wet-dry cycles and initial
water content on the compression behavior and structure
of undisturbed Q2 loess was discussed from the perspective
of particle cementation strength. In addition, there was lit-
tle difference between the structure variations of the loess
samples in this study under the wet-dry cycles without
boundary constraints and those of the in-situ Q2 loess
under the wet-dry cycles with displacement constraints
and small confining pressure. Therefore, the influence
mechanism obtained based on the microstructure varia-
tions in the wet-dry cycles without boundary constraints
is suitable for in-situ Q2 loess with displacement constraints
and small confining pressure.
Microstructures are extremely small-scale structures
that are revealed by an optical microscope magnified more
than 25 times (Barden et al., 1973; Gao, 1981). The
macrostructure is the structure that can be observed with
the naked eye or a magnifying glass, and variations in
the microstructure can reflect variations in the macrostruc-
ture and mechanical properties. The microstructure of loess
consists of particles, cementation bonds, and pores. Loess
particles include mineral particles and aggregate particles
composed of clay by calcium carbonate cementation
(Fig. 16) (Gao, 1981; Derbyshire and Mellors, 1988). Par-
ticles are in contact with adjacent particles through cemen-
tation bonds in undisturbed loess, and cementation
materials are always carbonate and clays (Barden et al.,
1973; Gao, 1981; Lei, 1987; Derbyshire and Mellors,
1988; Jiang et al., 2014a). Different particles and contact
relations result in different pore forms. The micropores in
Table 4
Fitting parameters of the van Genuchten model.
Initial water content/% Cycle number a b R2
10 0 110.18 1.28 0.979
3 26.95 1.27 0.996
25 0 105.46 1.28 0.980
1 33.15 1.25 0.989
2 24.14 1.27 0.992
3 25.03 1.27 0.995
14
Soils and Foundations 62 (2022) 101165
Table 5
Fitting parameters of the Fredlund-Xing model.
Initial water content/% Cycle number c n m R2
10 0 141.02 0.85 0.61 0.993
3 35.66 1.01 0.63 0.994
25 0 125.38 0.78 0.69 0.996
1 44.56 0.86 0.63 0.997
2 34.75 0.89 0.68 0.994
3 33.81 0.99 0.63 0.993
loess can be divided into inter-aggregate pores and intra-
aggregate pores based on their states (Gao, 1981; Lei,
1987). The inter-aggregate pores are the pores existing
between the particles, and their pore sizes are generally
greater than 200 nm. The intra-aggregate pores are the
pores existing inside the aggregate particles, which are 1–
3 order of magnitudes smaller than the inter-aggregate
pores, and their pore sizes are generally less than 200 nm
(Gao, 1981; Derbyshire and Mellors, 1988; Jiang et al.,
2014a). Therefore, the microstructures in loess can be
divided into inter-aggregate structures and intra-
aggregate structures based on their states, and the particle
cementation strength can be divided into inter-aggregate
cementation strength and intra-aggregate cementation
strength. The inter-aggregate structures are the structures
between the particles, and the intra-aggregate structures
are the structure inside the aggregate particles. The inter-
aggregate cementation strength is the cementation strength
between the particles, and the intra-aggregate cementation
strength is the cementation strength inside the aggregate
particles. In this study, the microscopic morphology of
the particles and inter-aggregate pores in the undisturbed
Q2 loess was observed by SEM, which was used to discuss
the inter-aggregate structures and inter-aggregate cementa-
tion strength. The nitrogen physical adsorption method
was used to measure the pore size distribution curve of
the intra-aggregate pores to analyze the intra-aggregate
structures and intra-aggregate cementation strength.
Under the same initial water content, compared with the
undisturbed Q2 loess under 3 wet-dry cycles, the particles
of the undisturbed Q2 loess before the wet-dry cycles were
contacted closely, and the inter-aggregate pores were com-
paratively small and scattered (Fig. 17). Reflected in the
macroscopic aspect, the inter-aggregate cementation
strength in the undisturbed Q2 loess before the wet-dry
cycles was high, and the inter-aggregate structures had rel-
atively high compression resistance and structural parame-
ter. In the first wet-dry cycle, water penetrated into the
undisturbed Q2 loess along the pores during humidifica-
tion. Under the water-soil interaction (Sun, 2002; Jia
et al., 2013; Li et al., 2018), it lubricated, dissolved, and
softened the carbonate and clays connected between parti-
cles, breaking many cementation bonds between particles.
Thus, some large aggregate particles were decomposed into
many small aggregate particles, the contact edges between
particles developed from irregular to smooth, and the
 J. Zhu et al.
inter-aggregate pores were constantly generated. During
the subsequent drying, the meniscus water that played a
role in stabilizing the soil skeleton decreased, resulting in
a decrease in the stability of the soil skeleton (Cheng
et al., 2020; Mu et al., 2020; Zhang et al., 2020). The fine
and loose particles and impurities in the undisturbed Q2
loess seeped out along the pores together with free water
and meniscus water, accompanied by the generation of sec-
ondary pores (Li et al., 2018; Xu et al., 2020b; Jiang et al.,
2021), which further weakened the inter-aggregate cemen-
tation strength. Thus, it could be judged that the compres-
sion resistance and structural parameter of the inter-
aggregate structures in the undisturbed Q2 loess decreased
rapidly during the first wet-dry cycle. With the increase in
wet-dry cycles, the cementation bonds between the particles
were constantly destroyed, the inter-aggregate pores were
continuously generated, and the inter-aggregate cementa-
tion strength was gradually weakened. Finally, after 3
wet-dry cycles, the particles of the undisturbed Q2 loess
were mainly granular, small, and loosely arranged, and
there were many inter-aggregate pores. The compression
resistance and structural parameter of the inter-aggregate
structures decreased to a lower level.
Referring to the methods of Jiang et al. (2014a) and She
et al. (2019), MATLAB was used to preprocess SEM
images by gray correction and noise reduction. In particu-
lar, Gaussian blur was used to effectively reduce image
noise and level of detail, which was a smoothing filter using
the image and Gaussian function as convolution (Hummel
et al., 1987; Chen and Ma, 2009; Flusser et al., 2015). Then,
the threshold was determined, the gray level greater than
the threshold was set to 255 as the foreground, and the gray
level less than the threshold was set to 0 as the background,
thus separating the foreground (pores) from the back-
ground (particles) and converting the original image into
a binary image. Then, the gray level in the neighborhood
of the pixel was averaged by the Sobel algorithm, and the
first-order differential processing was carried out to detect
the edge points of the pores and determine the distribution
Fig. 16. Schematic diagram of pore structures (modified from Gao, 1981).
15
Soils and Foundations 62 (2022) 101165
of each pore (Kanopoulos et al., 1988; Vairalkar and
Nimbhorkar, 2012). Finally, the area of each pore in the
binary image was extracted, and the apparent porosity
(the ratio of the total pore area to the total image area)
and the number of inter-aggregate pores in the SEM image
were statistically obtained (Fig. 18).
The apparent porosity and number of inter-aggregate
pores were positively correlated with the initial water con-
tent and wet-dry cycles. Comparing the apparent porosity
and number of inter-aggregate pores in the undisturbed
Q2 loess under the two types of wet-dry cycles, when the
initial water content gradually increased from 10% to
25%, the difference in apparent porosity was 8.3%, 7.6%,
6.0%, respectively, and the difference in number was 800,
739, and 578, respectively, all of which were gradually
decreasing. It could be speculated that with the increase
in initial water content, the damage degree of wet-dry
cycles to the cementation bonds between particles gradu-
ally decreased. Therefore, with the increase in initial water
content, the difference in the inter-aggregate cementation
strength of the undisturbed Q2 loess under different wet-
dry cycles gradually decreased. This led to a gradual
decrease in the sensitivity of wet-dry cycles to the compres-
sion resistance and structural parameter of the inter-
aggregate structures in undisturbed Q2 loess when the ini-
tial water content increased.
Before the wet-dry cycles, with the increase in initial
water content, the increase in water caused the dissolution
of carbonate and clays between the particles in the undis-
turbed Q2 loess (Jia et al., 2013; Li et al., 2018; Xue
et al., 2021). The cementation bonds between the particles
were destroyed, some large aggregate particles were dis-
solved into small aggregate particles, the inter-aggregate
pores increased, and the inter-aggregate cementation
strength was weakened (Fig. 17a-17c). The same was true
for the variations in Fig. 17d-17f. Hence, with the increase
in initial water content, the compression resistance and
structural parameter of the inter-aggregate structures
decreased under 3 wet-dry cycles. Comparing the apparent
porosity and number of inter-aggregate pores in the undis-
turbed Q2 loess with three kinds of initial water content, it
could be found that from 0 wet-dry cycles to 3 wet-dry
cycles, the maximum difference in apparent porosity was
4.3%, 2.0%, respectively, and the maximum difference in
number was 385, 163, respectively, which were all decreas-
ing (Fig. 18). It could be speculated that the increase in ini-
tial water content destroyed the cementation bonds
between particles in 0 wet-dry cycles more than that in 3
wet-dry cycles. Consequently, the difference in the inter-
aggregate cementation strength of the undisturbed Q2 loess
with different initial water content under 3 wet-dry cycles
was less than that under 0 wet-dry cycles. This led to a
decrease in the sensitivity of initial water content to the
compression resistance and structural parameter of the
inter-aggregate structures in undisturbed Q2 loess with
the increase in wet-dry cycles.
 J. Zhu et al. Soils and Foundations 62 (2022) 101165

Fig. 17. SEM images of the undisturbed Q2 loess with different initial water content under wet-dry cycles (a) 10% initial water content, 0 cycles (b) 15%
initial water content, 0 cycles (c) 25% initial water content, 0 cycles (d) 10% initial water content, 3 cycles (e) 15% initial water content, 3 cycles (f) 25%
initial water content, 3 cycles.

4.3. Pore size distribution characteristics
Fig. 19 indicates the pore size density curves of the intra-
aggregate pores in the undisturbed Q2 loess with different
initial water content calculated by the Barret-Joyner-
Halenda (BJH) method during the nitrogen physical
adsorption (Dong and Zhang, 2011). All pore size density
curves presented two peaks, which showed the pore size
of the first micro-pore family of 4.1 nm in the undisturbed
Q2 loess with different initial water content before the wet-
dry cycles. However, with the increase in initial water con-
tent, the peak intensity of the pore size of the first micro-
pore family gradually increased, and the increasing range
gradually decreased. In the undisturbed Q2 loess with ini-
tial water contents of 10%, 15%, and 25%, the pore size
of the second micro-pore family was 9.58, 11.51, and
16
24.55 nm, respectively, and the peak intensity gradually
increased and the increasing range gradually decreased.
This indicated that before the wet-dry cycles, with the
increase in initial water content, the increase in water pro-
moted the dissolution of carbonate and clays inside the
aggregate particles (Jia et al., 2013; Li et al., 2018; Xue
et al., 2021), the destruction of the cementation bonds,
and the increase in pore size of the intra-aggregate pores
(Table 6). As a result, the intra-aggregate cementation
strength was gradually reduced, the intra-aggregate struc-
tures were weakened, and the compression resistance and
structural parameter of the intra-aggregate structures were
reduced. In addition, with the increase in initial water con-
tent, the volume and size of the intra-aggregate pores grad-
ually increased under the 3 wet-dry cycles, which weakened
the intra-aggregate cementation strength and decreased the

(a)
2000
Number of inter-aggregate pores
1600
1200
800
400
0 aggregate pores under the wet-dry cycles gradually
10
Initial water content / %
(b)
Apparent porosity of inter-aggregate pores / %
25
20
15
10
5 strength and intra-aggregate cementation strength to be
0 the compression resistance and structural parameter of
10
Initial water content / %
Fig. 18. Inter-aggregate pores (a) Number (b) Apparent porosity.
compression resistance and structural parameter of the
intra-aggregate structures. However, the variations in the
volume and size of the intra-aggregate pores with the
increasing water content under the 3 wet-dry cycles were
less than those before the wet-dry cycles (Table 6). It could
be inferred that the increase in initial water content
destroyed the cementation bonds inside the aggregate par-
ticles before the wet-dry cycles more than that in the 3 wet-
dry cycles. This led to a decrease in the sensitivity of initial
water content to the intra-aggregate cementation strength
with the increase in wet-dry cycles. As a result, the initial
water content became less sensitive to the compression
resistance and structural parameter of the intra-aggregate
structures with the increase in wet-dry cycles.
At the same initial water content, the pore size of the
second micro-pore family in the pore size density curve
under 3 wet-dry cycles was larger than that under 0 wet-
dry cycles, and the two peak intensities of the pore size den-
sity curve under 3 wet-dry cycles were larger than those
under 0 wet-dry cycles (Fig. 20). This indicated that the
intra-aggregate structures of the undisturbed Q2 loess were
J. Zhu et al. Soils and Foundations 62 (2022) 101165
destroyed by water-soil interaction under the wet-dry
cycles (Sun, 2002; Jia et al., 2013; Li et al., 2018), which dis-
0 cycles
solved the carbonate and clays inside the aggregate parti-
3 cycles
cles and destroyed the cementation bonds inside many
aggregate particles, resulting in the formation of intra-
aggregate pores and the combination of some small intra-
aggregate pores to form large intra-aggregate pores. With
the increase in volume and size of the intra-aggregate
pores, the intra-aggregate cementation strength was weak-
ened, which led to a decrease in the compression resistance
and structural parameter of the intra-aggregate structures.
However, with the increase in initial water content, the
increasing range of the volume and size in the intra-
15 25
decreased (Table 6). It could be speculated that the damage
degree of wet-dry cycles to the cementation bonds inside
the aggregate particles gradually decreased with the
increase in initial water content. Therefore, the sensitivity
0 cycles
of wet-dry cycles to the intra-aggregate cementation
3 cycles strength decreased with the increase in initial water con-
tent. As a result, the wet-dry cycles became less sensitive
to the compression resistance and structural parameter of
the intra-aggregate structures with the increase in initial
water content.
In combination with the discussions in Sections 4.1 and
4.2, it was found that the wet-dry cycles and initial water
content could promote the inter-aggregate cementation
weakened. Reflected in the macroscopic aspect, both the
wet-dry cycles and the initial water content could cause
15 25
the undisturbed Q2 loess to decrease. However, with the
increase in initial water content, the sensitivity of wet-dry
cycles to the inter-aggregate pores and intra-aggregate
pores decreased, resulting in a decrease in the sensitivity
of wet-dry cycles to the inter-aggregate cementation
strength and intra-aggregate cementation strength. When
the wet-dry cycles increased, the sensitivity of initial water
content to the inter-aggregate pores and intra-aggregate
pores also decreased, resulting in a decrease in the sensitiv-
ity of initial water content to the inter-aggregate cementa-
tion strength and intra-aggregate cementation strength.
Reflected in the macroscopic aspect, as the initial water
content increased, the sensitivity of wet-dry cycles to the
compression resistance and structural parameter of undis-
turbed Q2 loess decreased. When the wet-dry cycles
increased, the sensitivity of initial water content to the
compression resistance and structural parameter of undis-
turbed Q2 loess also decreased.
4.4. Relationship between SWCC and microstructure
When the water content was high, there was much water
in the pores, and the water film at the contact point of soil
particles was well connected. The water content decreased
rapidly with the increase in matrix suction, the water film
at the contact point of soil particles became closed, and
17
 J. Zhu et al. Soils and Foundations 62 (2022) 101165

(a) dry cycles promoted the increase in the volume of inter-

0.07
aggregate pores and intra-aggregate pores in undisturbed
Pore size density function dV/d(lgd) / (cm3/g)

w=10%
0.06 w=15% Q2 loess. It could be inferred that when the initial water
4.10 nm
w=25% content was the same, the pore water in the inter-
0.05 aggregate pores and intra-aggregate pores could flow more
conveniently under the wet-dry cycles (Hoffmann et al.,
0.04 11.51 nm
(9.58+1.93 nm) 24.55 nm
2007; Gallage and Uchimura, 2010), and the water reten-
0.03 (9.58+14.97 nm) tion of the undisturbed Q2 loess decreased. Thus, in the
low and high matrix suction ranges, with the same volu-
0.02 9.58 nm metric water content, the matrix suction of the undisturbed
Q2 loess gradually decreased with the increase in wet-dry
0.01
cycles (Fig. 13). Moreover, the water retention of the undis-
0.00 turbed Q2 loess was stable in the low and high matrix suc-
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 tion ranges after 2 wet-dry cycles. It could be judged that
Diameter / nm the structure and size of inter-aggregate pores and intra-
(b) 0.07 aggregate pores in undisturbed Q2 loess tended to stabilize
Pore size density function dV/d(lgd) / (cm3/g)

4.10 nm
0.06
0.05
24.64 nm
0.04
(11.51+13.13 nm)
11.51 nm
0.03
0.02
0.01
0.00
0 10 20
Fig. 19. Pore size density curves of the undisturbed Q2 loess with different
initial water content by BJH method (a) 0 cycles (b) 3 cycles.
the pore water in the soil was also in a closed state (Figs. 13
and 14) (Derbyshire and Mellors, 1988). When the water
content was low, a small amount of pore water remained
in the small pores in a closed state, and a small variation
in the water content caused a large variation in the matrix
suction of the soil.
In the SWCC of the low matrix suction range (0–
1000 kPa), the pores affecting the water retention of the soil
are the inter-aggregate pores (Fredlund and Rahardjo,
1993; Hoffmann et al., 2007). In the high matrix suction
range (1000–100000 kPa), the pores that affect the water
retention of the soil are the intra-aggregate pores
(Fredlund and Rahardjo, 1993; Wang et al., 2013). Wet-
w=10% in 2 wet-dry cycles (Wang et al., 2013; Zhu et al., 2022). As
w=15% a result, the macroscopic parameters related to compres-
w=25%
sion behavior and structure were stable during the 2 wet-
dry cycles, which was not contradictory to the results of
the one-dimensional consolidation and microstructure
29.01 nm tests.
(11.51+17.50 nm) With the increase in initial water content, the volume of
inter-aggregate pores and intra-aggregate pores in undis-
turbed Q2 loess gradually increased. It could be inferred
that under the same wet-dry cycles, with the increase in ini-
tial water content, the pore water in the inter-aggregate
pores and intra-aggregate pores could flow more conve-
30 40 50 60 70 80 90
niently (Hoffmann et al., 2007; Gallage and Uchimura,
Diameter / nm
2010), and the water retention of the undisturbed Q2 loess
decreased. Therefore, in the low and high matrix suction
ranges, with the same volumetric water content, the matrix
suction of the undisturbed Q2 loess gradually decreased
with the increase in initial water content (Fig. 14). In addi-
tion, the sensitivity of the wet-dry cycles to the SWCC
gradually decreased when the initial water content
increased, and the sensitivity of the initial water content
to the SWCC gradually decreased when the wet-dry cycles
increased. It could be inferred that the sensitivity of the
wet-dry cycles to the pore structure gradually decreased
with the increase in initial water content, and the sensitivity
of the initial water content to the pore structure gradually
decreased with the increase in wet-dry cycles (Wang et al.,
2013; Zhu et al., 2022). These were not inconsistent with
the analysis of the structural parameter and
microstructure.

Table 6
Microstructure parameters of the undisturbed Q2 loess by BJH method.
Cycle number Initial water content/% Cumulative pore volume/(cm3/g) Average pore size/nm
0 10% 0.025 7.048
15% 0.034 7.689
25% 0.037 7.783
3 10% 0.039 7.213
15% 0.044 7.808
25% 0.046 7.819

18
 J. Zhu et al. Soils and Foundations 62 (2022) 101165

(a) the micro-level, the effects of wet-dry cycles and initial

0.07
water content on the structure of undisturbed Q2 loess were
Pore size density function dV/d(lgd) / (cm3/g)
0 cycles
0.06 3 cycles analyzed from two aspects, and the influence mechanism of
4.10 nm wet-dry cycles and initial water content on the compression
0.05 behavior and structure of undisturbed Q2 loess was dis-
0.04
cussed. Meanwhile, based on the relationship between
11.51 nm microstructure and unsaturated property, the influence
0.03 (9.58+1.93 nm) mechanism of wet-dry cycles and initial water content on
the SWCC was determined. Additionally, the research
0.02 9.58 nm
results obtained in the wet-dry cycles without boundary
0.01 constraints are applicable to in-situ Q2 loess with displace-
ment constraints and small confining pressure. The main
0.00 conclusions are as follows:
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Diameter / nm
(1) With the increase in initial water content, the increas-
(b) 0.07 ing range of the compression deformation and com-
Pore size density function dV/d(lgd) / (cm3/g)

0 cycles
4.10 nm pression coefficient in the undisturbed Q2 loess
0.06 3 cycles
under the influence of wet-dry cycles decreased grad-
0.05 ually, and the number of wet-dry cycles in which the
compression deformation began to stabilize had a
0.04
11.51 nm
24.64 nm decreasing trend, but the compression coefficient
(11.51+13.13 nm) tended to be flat after 2 wet-dry cycles. In addition,
0.03
with the increase in wet-dry cycles, the increasing
0.02 range of the compression deformation and compres-
sion coefficient under the influence of initial water
0.01
content decreased gradually.
0.00 (2) With the increase in initial water content, the number
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
of cycles in which the structural parameter of undis-
Diameter / nm turbed Q2 loess varied from a decreasing trend to
(c) 0.07 an approaching stable trend under the wet-dry cycles
Pore size density function dV/d(lgd) / (cm3/g)

4.10 nm
0 cycles tended to decrease. The sensitivity of wet-dry cycles
0.06 3 cycles
and net vertical stress to the structural parameter
0.05 decreased gradually. Moreover, with the increase in
wet-dry cycles, the sensitivity of initial water content
0.04 24.55 nm 29.01 nm and net vertical stress to the structural parameter
(24.55+4.46 nm) decreased gradually.
0.03
(3) In the low and high matrix suction ranges, with the
0.02 same volumetric water content, the matrix suction
of undisturbed Q2 loess was negatively correlated
0.01 with the wet-dry cycles and initial water content.
0.00
The relationship between matrix suction and volu-
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 metric water content tended to be stable after 2
Diameter / nm wet-dry cycles. Moreover, with the increase in initial
water content, the sensitivity of wet-dry cycles to
Fig. 20. Pore size density curves of the undisturbed Q2 loess with different
wet-dry cycles by BJH method (a) 10% initial water content (b) 15% initial
the SWCC gradually decreased. The sensitivity of ini-
water content (c) 25% initial water content. tial water content to the SWCC gradually decreased
with the increasing wet-dry cycles. The van Genuch-
ten model and Fredlund-Xing model were suitable
5. Conclusions for fitting the SWCCs of undisturbed Q2 loess under
wet-dry cycles.
In this paper, the effects of wet-dry cycles and initial (4) The strength of the undisturbed Q2 loess structure
water content on the compression deformation and com- was mainly dominated by the particle cementation
pression coefficient of undisturbed Q2 loess were studied. strength, and the particle arrangement strength
Based on the structural parameter at the macro-level and played a secondary role. The influence of wet-dry
the microscopic morphology and pore size distribution at

19
 J. Zhu et al.
cycles and initial water content on the structure was
mostly to weaken the inter-aggregate cementation
strength and intra-aggregate cementation strength.
(5) With the increase in initial water content, the decreas-
ing range of the inter-aggregate cementation strength
and intra-aggregate cementation strength under the
influence of wet-dry cycles decreased. With the
increase in wet-dry cycles, the decreasing range of
the inter-aggregate cementation strength and intra-
aggregate cementation strength under the influence
of initial water content decreased. This could explain
the influence mechanism of wet-dry cycles and initial
water content on the compression deformation, struc-
tural parameter, and SWCC of undisturbed Q2 loess.
The findings of this study reveal the compression behav-
ior and structure of undisturbed Q2 loess under wet-dry
cycles and their influence mechanisms, and have a deeper
understanding of the mechanical and hydration behaviors
of loess under wet-dry cycles, to provide theoretical guid-
ance for the construction of Q2 loess strata with groundwa-
ter level. However, the applicability of these findings is
limited. There are many factors affecting the effect of wet-
dry cycles on undisturbed Q2 loess, and the confining pres-
sure is an important consideration which needs to be fur-
ther studied.
Acknowledgement
All authors are grateful for the financial support pro-
vided by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central
Universities of China (No. lzujbky-2017-ct02, lzujbky-
2018-it24), and Science and Technology Research and
Development Program of China Railway Corporation
(No. 2017G007-G).
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