Abstract: The weathered soil in red beds has the characteristics of disintegration when it encounters water. Its water stability is poor. It is easy to break down in the hot and rainy climate in Southern China. Therefore,its disintegration characteristics and its control mechanism have become one of the hot issues in practical engineering. In view of the deficiencies of the current researches on the disintegration characteristics of weathered soil in red beds,we design and develop a set of disintegration test equipment. We carry out the disintegration test of typical weathered soil in red beds in Southern China under different water contents and compactness conditions. We also analyze the disintegration mechanism of weathered soil in red beds from the perspective of composition and structure. Then,based on this,we carry out soil modification test by incorporating high performance ester materials. We explore a solution by modification control to improve the anti-disintegration of weathered soil in red beds. The results show that the lower initial water content of the soil and smaller compactness lead to stronger disintegration of the weathered soil in red beds,faster disintegration rate and more significant damage. The factors controlling the disintegration are mainly the mineral composition,chemical composition,pore fracture and cement characteristics of the soil. High-performance ester materials can enhance the cementation and agglomeration between soil particles,thereby improving the water stability of the soil and controlling the disintegration characteristics of the weathered soil in red beds. Our research has certain reference significance for revealing the water disintegration characteristics and disintegration mechanism of weathered soil in red beds and improving its anti-disintegration from the perspective of soil modification.