Assessing the Degree of Slaking Deterioration of Rock Materials by Focusing on Grain Refinement

In order to evaluate the progress of slaking by focusing on the change in grain size, we carried out dry/wet repeated tests and triaxial compression tests on these specimens obtained from sedimentary rocks which are adjusted grain size corresponding to an actual embankment. From the results of these tests, we conclude that the fracture mode of particles by slaking may differ depending on the particle size. In addition, it was found that even if compacted to the same density, the most significant changes in the maximum deviator stress and the stiffness are caused by wet/dry cycles. The strength increased when the number of wet/dry cycles was low, but decreased as the number of wet/dry cycles increased.