Soil Disintegration Characteristics of Collapsed Walls and Influencing Factors in Southern China

Collapsed walls cause collapsed mounds, and the disintegration characteristics of collapsed walls are thus closely linked with the occurrence of collapsed mounds. The current study examines the disintegration characteristics and the physical and chemical properties of collapsed walls. A multilevel analysis was conducted by obtaining soil samples from four layers of a collapsed wall. The results showed that 1) the physical and chemical properties of the soil samples (red soil layer, sandy soil layer, debris layer, gravel and eluvial breccia) are closely related to the weathering degree of the crust; 2) gravel and eluvial breccia disintegrated in the shortest time, whereas red soil exhibited the slowest disintegration in the vertical section of the collapsed wall. The order of the disintegrating ratio of the layers is as follows: red soil layer < sandy soil layer < debris layer < gravel and eluvial breccia. Initial water content significantly influenced the disintegration ratio of the red soil layer and sandy soil layer, whereas its effect on the debris layer and gravel eluvial breccia is minimal; and 3) most of the physical and chemical properties of the collapsed wall are significantly correlated with the disintegration ratio of the soil sample. The following physical and chemical properties, which are positively correlated with the disintegration ratio, are arranged based on highest to lowest correlation coefficient: sand content, MgO, natural water content, K₂O, CaO, exchangeable sodium, pH, porosity, Na₂O, and cation exchange capacity. The following physical and chemical properties, which are negatively correlated with the disintegration ratio, are organized based on highest to lowest correlation coefficient: cosmid, Fe₂O₃, silt particle, Al₂O₃, TiO₂, SiO₂, organic matter, free iron oxide, and free alumina. Only exchangeable calcium, saturated water content, specific gravity of soil particles, and dry density of soil particles are significantly correlated with the disintegration ratio. The correlation coefficient indicates that the disintegration ratio and soil structure, as well as the chemical content of clay minerals, are closely correlated. The study helps explain the mechanism of wall collapse and provides references for developing protective measures against erosion.