Water Resources and Power

Coral sand is an important material for island and reef engineering construction. Its physical and mechanical properties in different marine environments directly affect the design, construction and long-term operation of island and reef structures. In order to study the shear mechanical properties of coral sand under the influence of temperature and salinity, the triaxial drainage shear tests of coral sand in the South China Sea were carried out at different temperatures and salinity by using the self-developed temperature controlled pile-soil interface triaxial tester. The results show that similar to ISO standard sand, the shear stress-strain curves of coral sand have peaks, presenting its characteristics of strain softening; The shear strength of coral sand is not significantly affected by temperature, but it is sensitive to salinity. Compared with fresh water environment, the peak shear strength of coral sand in salt water environment decreases by 2.5%-8.5%, and the lower of confining pressure, the greater of decrease range; Salinity has a deterioration effect on the cohesion of coral sand, and its reduction range is about 30%, but the effect on the internal friction angle of coral sand is not obvious.