Experimental investigation of the interaction between water and shear-zone materials of a bedding landslide in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area, China

Most landslides induced by reservoir impoundment and rainfall in the Three Gorges Reservoir area of China are usually characterized by bedding-plane shear zones. This paper presents an experimental study of the interaction between water and shear-zone materials. A series of tests, including wetting-drying cycles and soaking tests, were carried out. The results show that the fluid-solid interaction not only reduces the shear strength of shear-zone soil but also accelerates the disintegration process of clastic rock from shear zone. After the fluid-solid interaction at different pH values, the clastic rock samples produce the most clay minerals in acidic solution. Similarly, the clay minerals of shear-zone soil samples increase dramatically after 45 days of soaking in acidic environment. According to the tests, it is found that the shear-zone soil in eluvium may originate from the weathered clastic rock near the shear zones under long-term fluid-solid interaction.