Abstract:Soil conditioning is used to improve the plastic flow capacity of earth pressure balance (EPB) in sandy cobble strata. Conditioning tests were conducted for sandy cobble strata in Chengdu by using foam, bentonite, and polymer, including the slump test, the stirring test as well as the viscosity test. The results show that sodium bentonite has a better bulking capacity than Cabentonite and is not layered, which is more suitable for soil conditioning. The reasonable ratio for bentonite alone is to have a concentration of 14.3% and an injection rate of 20%. The foam injection rate is influenced by soil moisture content with a negative correlation. Using foam and bentonite together for conditioning can have a better result than using foam or bentonite alone. The concentration is proposed to be 14.3% for bentonite and 3% for foam while the injection rate is a range. There are many assembles which can meet the demand. For instance, the optimum injection rate is about 15% to 20% for foam and 12% for bentonite, or 30% to 35% for foam and 6% for bentonite. Polymer is proposed under rich underwater environment. Besides, under normal circumstances, polymer also can be used for lowing bentonite concentration, which can save bentonite consumption to reduce project cost.