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Advanced Geotechnical Investigations of Coral Sands in Marine Engineering
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Advanced Geotechnical Investigations of Coral Sands in Marine Engineering

A special issue of Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (ISSN 2077-1312). This special issue belongs to the section "Geological Oceanography".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 940

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Xinzhi Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Geotechnical Mechanics and Engineering, Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
Interests: particle crushing; pile skin friction; pile–soil interaction; dilatancy behavior; in situ investigation; liquefaction evaluation; coral reef drilling coring technology; geophysical exploration; foundation bearing capacity

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Coral sand, as a special geomaterial in marine engineering, poses critical challenges to the safety and durability of island and reef construction projects due to its high porosity, crushability, and unique mechanical behavior. This Special Issue focuses on the dynamic response of coral sands, liquefaction susceptibility assessment, in situ permeability assessment, coral reef drilling and coring technology and innovative exploration techniques. The aim is to deepen theoretical understanding and guide engineering practice. We sincerely invite scholars in related fields to contribute to this topic, collectively advancing the development and innovation of marine geotechnical engineering.

Dr. Xinzhi Wang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • particle crushing
  • dilatancy behavior
  • liquefaction evaluation
  • pile–soil interaction
  • geophysical exploration
  • pile skin friction
  • foundation bearing capacity
  • coral reef drilling and coring technology
  • in situ permeability assessment

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 8078 KB  
Article
Damage-Softening Model and Shear Behavior of Geosynthetic–Calcareous Sand Interface Based on Large-Scale Monotonic Shear Tests
by Liangjie Xu, Xinzhi Wang, Ren Wang and Jicheng Zhang
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2026, 14(9), 836; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14090836 - 30 Apr 2026
Viewed by 193
Abstract
Geosynthetics-reinforced soil technology represents an innovative reinforcement method for calcareous sand foundations and revetment engineering in coral reef areas. The interaction response at the reinforced soil interface directly influences the safety and stability of reinforced soil structures. However, research on the interaction mechanisms [...] Read more.
Geosynthetics-reinforced soil technology represents an innovative reinforcement method for calcareous sand foundations and revetment engineering in coral reef areas. The interaction response at the reinforced soil interface directly influences the safety and stability of reinforced soil structures. However, research on the interaction mechanisms between geosynthetics and calcareous sand interfaces remains insufficient. Therefore, this paper investigates the effects of different normal stresses and various interface types on the shear characteristics of the geosynthetics–calcareous sand interface through a series of large-scale monotonic direct shear tests. By integrating statistical damage theory and accounting for the influence of residual strength, we establish the constitutive relation for interface damage. The results indicate that the shear stress–displacement curves for both the geosynthetics–calcareous sand interface and the unreinforced calcareous sand exhibit softening behavior. Furthermore, the relationship between the interface shear modulus and horizontal displacement for the geogrid–calcareous sand and unreinforced calcareous sand adheres to a power function model, while the relationship for the geotextile–calcareous sand follows a logarithmic function model. In the structural design of geosynthetics-reinforced calcareous sand, it is crucial to consider the influence of residual shear strength on structural stability. This study proposes a statistical damage constitutive model that accounts for the strain-softening characteristics of the geosynthetics–calcareous sand interface, while also considering the impact of residual strength. The findings provide a theoretical basis for the stability analysis of geosynthetics-reinforced calcareous sand structures in coral reefs with significant engineering implications for island reef construction, coastal development, and bank slope protection projects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Geotechnical Investigations of Coral Sands in Marine Engineering)
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24 pages, 7459 KB  
Article
Strength Characteristics and Micro-Mechanism of Coral Sand Reinforced by EICP Combined with Aluminum Ions
by Rong Chen, Yirou Yang, Dongxue Hao, Zhaoping Wang and Bingxi Fang
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2026, 14(3), 286; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse14030286 - 31 Jan 2026
Viewed by 454
Abstract
To overcome the high cost, marine ecological risks of traditional coral sand reinforcement, and the insufficient mechanical performance of standalone Enzyme-Induced Carbonate Precipitation (EICP), this study proposes a novel soil improvement method integrating EICP with aluminum chloride hexahydrate (AlCl3·6H2O). [...] Read more.
To overcome the high cost, marine ecological risks of traditional coral sand reinforcement, and the insufficient mechanical performance of standalone Enzyme-Induced Carbonate Precipitation (EICP), this study proposes a novel soil improvement method integrating EICP with aluminum chloride hexahydrate (AlCl3·6H2O). The objectives are to identify optimal EICP curing parameters, evaluate AlCl3·6H2O’s enhancement effect, and reveal the synergistic micro-mechanism. Through aqueous solution, unconfined compressive strength, permeability, X-ray diffraction (XRD), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) tests, this study systematically investigated the reaction conditions, mechanical properties, anti-seepage performance, mineral composition, and pore structure. The results demonstrate that EICP achieves the best curing effect under specific conditions: temperature of 30 °C, pH of 8, and cementing solution concentration of 1 mol/L. Under these optimal conditions, the unconfined compressive strength of EICP-solidified coral sand columns reaches 761.6 kPa, and the permeability coefficient is reduced by one order of magnitude compared to unsolidified samples. Notably, AlCl3·6H2O incorporation yields a significant synergistic effect, boosting the UCS to 2389.1 kPa (3.14 times standalone EICP) and further reducing permeability by 26%. Micro-mechanism analysis reveals that AlCl3·6H2O acts both by generating cementitious aggregates that provide nucleation sites for uniform calcite deposition and by accelerating the transformation of metastable aragonite and vaterite to stable calcite, thereby enhancing cementation stability. This study delivers a cost-effective, eco-friendly solution for coral sand reinforcement, providing practical technical support for marine engineering in environments like the South China Sea. By addressing the core limitations of conventional bio-cementation, it opens new avenues for advancing soil improvement science and applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Geotechnical Investigations of Coral Sands in Marine Engineering)
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