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Abstract Owing to the complex structure and stress history of unsaturated soils, the micro-mechanism of effective stress theory in unsaturated soil mechanics remains unelucidated. In this study, we developed a miniature triaxial test apparatus for a micro-focus computed tomography (μ-CT) scanning system for the microscopic study of the mechanical behaviour of unsaturated soil. By comparing the results from the developed mini-triaxial test device system with those from a conventional triaxial device, its experimental accuracy was verified. Micron-level high-resolution CT images of sheared specimens at different strain stages were obtained using the device for in situ suction-control triaxial compression 4D (3-Dimensional+Dynamic) tests with a μ-CT scanning system. The multiscale evolution behaviours of the physical parameters (porosity and degree of saturation) of the specimens corresponded to the stress–strain relationship revealed by the in situ test. Triaxial shearing drains out the pore water, and the decomposition of the largest water clusters causes the quantity of small-volume liquid clusters to increase, shifting the distribution of the interfacial areas. The degree of saturation scale indicates the presence of liquid bridges within the shear band that provide interparticle cementation effect and thus enhance the global strength of unsaturated granular soil specimens.
Luan et al. (Wed,) studied this question.