Failure characteristics of fissured loess under triaxial compression condition

After triaxial compression tests to fissured loess samples with different features and different angle values of fissure in samples under different confining pressures, the failure characteristics are described; and deformation and failure rules are generalized by means of measuring the distortion of mesh lines and fissure marked in side face of fissured loess samples. Results of tests show that there are 2 types of failure which are brittle failure and plastic failure; and that there are 5 modes of stress-strain curves with very strong softening, strong softening, softening, perfect plastic(or weak softening, weak hardening) and hardening. The different failure modes are related to such factors as spatial location and feature of fissure in samples and confining pressures of tests. And the position of failure plane in fissured loess is influenced by the deformation modes of samples and fissure in samples and the border of top or bottom pervious stone.