Calcareous sand is widely used in marine and island reef engineering; however, its low strength and severe particle breakage are further exacerbated under dynamic loading, making the dynamic performance of reinforced calcareous sand critical to engineering safety. Nevertheless, research on the dynamic characteristics of EICP/MICP-reinforced calcareous sand remains very limited. The dynamic performance was evaluated using Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) tests, and the results were compared with UCS data to examine the effects of particle gradation and fiber content on both dynamic and static behaviors. The results show that dynamic strength increases with calcium carbonate content (CCC) and impact pressure. Under the same CCC, the dynamic strength is consistently higher than the static strength, with a maximum difference of up to 2.5 MPa. Fiber incorporation significantly enhances structural integrity, and SEM analysis reveals that this improvement stems from effective bonding between fibers and cementitious materials. Based on the static and dynamic test results, the optimal mix ratio for EICP-reinforced calcareous sand is determined as 50% coarse sand content and 0.4% fiber content by mass, which provides theoretical support and design parameters for sustainable green reinforcement of calcareous sand foundations in marine and island reef engineering.

The service life of the reinforced concrete structure in the marine environment can be impaired significantly due to chloride-induced corrosion. However, how the chloride diffusion in pre-cracked concrete structures is affected by the hydrostatic pressure magnitude is poorly understood. This study experimentally examined the effect of hydrostatic pressure on the chloride diffusion in pre-cracked concrete. Cracks with five different widths, i.e., 20 μm, 40 μm, 60 μm, 80 μm, and 100 μm, were manually created using a splitting tensile apparatus respectively. The chloride diffusion in the concrete with a certain crack was then studied under four different hydrostatic pressures of 0 MPa, 0.1 MPa, 0.3 MPa, and 0.5 MPa. Experimental results show that the chloride diffusion in concrete with a crack greatly relies on both the hydrostatic pressure and the crack width. The chloride concentration increases as the hydrostatic pressure grows, particularly for the wider cracks with width ranging from 60 μm to 100 μm. Surprisingly, the hydrostatic pressure has a negligible effect on the chloride distribution in the concrete with a crack width no larger than 40 μm. Both the chloride diffusion coefficient and the surface chloride concentration of concrete increased gradually as the hydrostatic pressure increased. The experimental findings enrich our understanding of the behavior of pre-cracked concrete when exposed to chloride-induced corrosion at different depths of marine environments.