Discussion on the Method of Intact Loess Humidification Considering Water Content Uniformity

Soil mass strength has a direct correlation with soil mass water content. The shearing test for soil under different water contents is the most important method of analyzing landslide (sliding belt) soil mass strength. According to the humidification requirements on the intact loess for indoor test, we should pay attention to the uniformity of humidification for the intact loess. Through comparative studies on three humidification methods, it is considered that when the same loess samples have reached the same preset humidity, the loess sample with the pre-wetting method for 24 h can reach the uniform water distribution; the loess sample using the burying method can reach to the uniform water distribution after 10 days and the loess sample using the steaming method can reach the uniform water distribution after 8 h. The burying method can get the large water content range for humidification and saturated loess samples can be obtained through humidification, whereas the saturated loess samples cannot be obtained through the pre-wetting and steaming method.