Study on Influencing Factors of Strength of Plastic Concrete Vertical Cutoff Wall

Vertical containment barriers—critical for intercepting contaminant transport in subsurface environments—demand materials that balance low permeability with adequate strength, particularly in stress-sensitive mountainous terrain. Plastic concrete, as a key barrier material, provides essential properties, including exceptional stress relaxation, to suppress fracture development under compressive loads, coupled with effective seepage control. This study examines its strength performance through experiments on varied mixing techniques (dry, wet, and 24 h hydration), unconfined compression under uncontaminated conditions (water–binder ratios: 1.3–2.1, bentonite content: 20–30%, ages: 14–90 days), barium ion immersion (1–5 g/L, pH 7–11), and dry–wet cycling (10 cycles). Key findings demonstrate that (1) the strength of samples prepared by dry mixing and wet mixing is lower than that of samples mixed for 24 h, and all specimens met the target design strength following 28 days of curing; (2) under pollution-free conditions, strength decreases with higher water–binder ratios and bentonite content, showing a linear relationship. Strength increases exponentially with age; (3) in the presence of Ba2+, strength gradually decreases as Ba2+ concentration and pH increase, particularly notably at 3 g/L Ba2+ and pH 11. Strength increases with age, following a power relationship; (4) under dry–wet cycles, ion concentration has minimal impact on sample quality and surface state but significantly affects strength, with higher ion concentrations leading to greater strength loss and susceptibility to cycles; (5) during solution immersion, higher ion concentrations and pHs result in greater strength loss and worse erosion resistance.