Particle crushing mode during shearing of calcareous sand

As the main foundation material for filling islands and reefs, calcareous sand is characterized by the extremely irregular particle shape, abundant internal pore, being easy to be broken, etc. The particulate crushing mode of calcareous sand during the shearing has an important influence on the strength and deformation of the foundation. Based on the tailor-made transparent model box and the MTS testing machine, the particulate crushing mode of calcareous sand during the shearing was explored. Results have shown that during shearing, the particles have obvious directional arrangement; the crushing modes of particles with different shapes are quite different, in which the branched particles are mainly fractured, the bulk particles are mainly disintegrated, and the shell-shaped particles are generally not broken.