Transparency and applications of transparent soil: a review

Abstract

The effects of particle size, pore fluid ratio, solution ratio, temperature, time and other preparation factors on the transparency of transparent soil are discussed. The quality of transparency determines the effectiveness of transparent soil in model tests. Also, existing methods cannot quantify transparency in real-time. The history of transparent soil development and the problems encountered in preparation are reviewed; the existing transparency testing methods are scrutinised; and the problems of transparency testing are described. On the basis of progress in the application of machine learning methods to geotechnical engineering, the advantages and technical issues of the method to predict soil transparency are discussed. Lastly, issues that require further research are considered.