Abstract: Traditionally dynamic consolidation tests were performed under low-energy impact, which is not sufficient to trigger significant mechanical response of soft soil so that the laboratory tests cannot properly simulate the actual energy transfer process in the field. In this study, static and dynamic consolidation tests are performed on muck soil, using a self-developed multi-directional high-energy electromagnetic impact testing system, from which the energy transfer processes in horizontal and vertical directions are characterized under repeated high-energy impacts. The experimental results include (1) The pressure increase in shallow soil is always the largest under impact; and the pressure increment in deep soil increases with the impact number; after first impact, the compression amount of shallow soil is the largest, and then the compression amount of deeper soils exceeds that of the shallow soil; and the difference becomes larger and larger as the impact number increasing, indicating that the main compression zone moves down gradually. (2) In both static and dynamic consolidation tests, the impact energy initially acts on the shallow soil, and then transfers to deeper soils, resulting in the improvement of the mechanical properties of the muck soil in depth. (3) Under impact loading, the vertical particle velocity is the maximum, followed by the radial direction, and ring direction is minimal at the same position of the surface layer of soil, and particle velocity approaches the same stable value at a certain distance; vibration acceleration also shows the same variation law; the region under the influence of vibration observed in the model test is consistent with those of the actual engineering projects.

Key words: model experiment, high energy impact, muck soil, energy transfer