Laboratory investigation on the behaviour of an overconsolidated expansive clay in intact and compacted states
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Date
2017-12
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Université de M'sila
Abstract
Natural climatic phenomena and human activity frequently cause disorders in the masses of fine-grained
soils characterized by very significant volume variation as soon as the conditions of their equilibrium are
modified. A better description of the behaviour of fine-grained soils can be seen with respect to dryingwetting
cycles. This paper presents a series of laboratory test results obtained on a heavily overconsolidated
expansive clay, for which significant damages frequently appear in road and motorway infrastructures,
in urban public utilities, as well as in civil and industrial low-rise structures. The effects of
compaction and drying-wetting cycles on the mechanical parameters of this clay are analyzed to establish
a predictive model of the soil movement following the in-situ water table variation. Comparative
analysis between the deformability and strength characteristics of the clay in intact and compacted states
are then presented. Tests results show that the values of the geotechnical parameters derived from these
tests are depending on some experimental aspects such as the compaction energy, drying time, initial
deformability and soil saturation. In all cases, the behaviour of intact and compacted clay samples is governed
by the same laws of compressibility and consolidation, shrinkage and swelling as well as shear and
failure.
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Keywords
Expansive clay Compaction Compressibility-consolidation Swelling-shrinkage Shear-failure