Abstract: To study the effect of clay content on the strength, disintegration, and permeability properties of red clay, Guilin Red Clay was taken as the research object. Triaxial compression tests, disintegration tests, and variable head permeability tests of red clay with different clay contents(42.37%, 47.37%, 52.37%, and 57.37% respectively) were carried out. The stress-strain curves, shear strength indices, disintegration phenomena, and permeability coefficients of red clay with different clay contents were analyzed. The test results show that the stress-strain curves are all of the strain-softening type. With the increase of clay content, the cohesion increases and the internal friction angle decreases. The disintegration time-disintegration amount curves all show "S" type characteristics. With the increase of clay content, the disintegration time of red clay increases gradually, while the permeability coefficient decreases gradually. The analysis shows that the increase of clay content in the soil enhances the bonding between soil particles. The clay particles fill the pores and cracks in the soil, reduce the friction between soil particles, block the water flow channels, and reduce the permeability of water in the soil. On the whole, clay can enhance the water stability and impermeability of red clay and has a significant impact on the shear strength index. The above research results can provide reference for engineering construction and red clay improvement in red clay areas.