Abstract:The shear tests of compacted loess with different dry densities were conducted using two different sample preparation methods (pre-humidification and humidification) to study their influence on the shear strength index of the unsaturated compacted loess. The results of this study exhibit the presence of critical moisture content that affects the cohesion and friction angle of the loess in the pre-wetting sample preparation test. When the moisture content of the sample was lower than the critical moisture content, the shear strength increased with increasing moisture content; however, when the moisture content of the sample was higher than the critical moisture content, the shear strength decreased with increasing moisture content. Further, the shear strength index generally increased with the increasing dry density of the sample. During the wetting sample preparation test, the cohesion continuously decreased with increasing moisture content, and the friction angle initially increased and subsequently decreased with increasing moisture content. When compared with the pre-wetting sample, the reduction degree of the moisture content to the friction angle decreased. It can be observed that the sample preparation method significantly influences the cohesion of the unsaturated compacted loess. When the moisture content of the sample was lower than the critical moisture content, the cohesion of the wetting sample was larger than that of the pre-wetting sample; however, when the moisture content of the sample is higher than the critical moisture content, the cohesion of the pre-wetting sample is larger. It can be considered that the wetting sample exhibits a similar "barrel effect"; the pre-wetting sample is related to the overall level of the sample. The research results exhibit a certain reference value for further applicability of the shear strength index of the unsaturated loess.