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Formation mechanism of cover collapse sinkholes induced by urban static loads in water-rich strata: an experimental investigation
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DOI：10.1007/s10064-026-05235-0.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
Intensive human activities in groundwater-rich urban karst areas have increased the risk of sinkholes, making it essential to understand sinkhole formation mechanisms for effective disaster prevention and mitigation. In this study, reduced-scale model experiments were conducted using a self-developed experimental system to investigate the evolution processes and formation mechanisms of sinkholes induced by urban static loads in water-rich strata. The results indicated that differences in load-transfer behavior between ground surface static loads and pile foundation static loads resulted in distinct collapse mechanisms, affected zones, and collapse pit morphologies. Under ground surface static loads, shear failure surfaces developed within the cohesive soil layer and became connected to upward-expanding cavities in the underlying sandy soil layer, forming an olive-shaped collapse profile vertical cross-section. Under pile foundation static loads, rapid local collapse of the sandy soil layer caused cavity formation at the base of the cohesive soil layer. The soil arch within the cohesive soil layer then progressively developed upward until collapse occurred at the ground surface, producing a frog-shaped collapse profile vertical cross-section with a narrow lower part and a relatively wider upper part. Sinkhole formation under the experimental conditions was controlled by the combined effects of soil cavity development and additional stress induced by static loading, and generally involved three stages: initial cavity development, bearing deformation, and failure. Under water-rich conditions, the dissipation of excess pore water pressure during static loading increased the effective stress of the soil, thereby promoting soil cavity development and overburden instability, ultimately resulting in ground collapse.
Keywords:
Sinkhole
Static loads
Formation mechanism
Water-rich strata
Model experiment
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