Creep characteristics test of soil-rock mixture subjected to loading and dry-wet cycles

The study focused on investigating the influence of dry density and load level on the wetting creep deformation of soil-rock mixture. A total of 9 groups of compression creep tests were conducted on the soil-rock mixture under a dry-wet cycle. The results revealed that the wetting creep deformation of the soil-rock mixture increased with higher load levels and decreased significantly with increasing dry density. However, as the dry density further increased, the decrease in wetting creep deformation became less pronounced. The relationship between wetting creep deformation and the logarithm of the number of dry-wet cycles followed a linear development pattern for the soil-rock mixture under the dry-wet cycle conditions. The initial wetting strain and wetting creep rate were found to have power function distribution relationships with the load level and dry density. Based on these findings, an empirical model for the dry-wet cycle creep behavior of the soil-rock mixture was proposed. This model takes into consideration different dry densities and load levels, providing a framework for predicting and understanding the creep deformation of the soil-rock mixture under such conditions.