Influence of compaction on the soil shrinkage and swelling curves

The behaviour of soils undergoing deformation due to changes in water content can be described using Soil Shrinkage Curves (SSCs). The SSCs are normally influenced by several factors as the soil’s fabric, different compaction levels, residual void ratio, and the shrinkage limit. In this study, shrin...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Authors: Encalada López, David Alejandro, Najdi, Abdallah, Mendes, Joao, Prat Catalán, Pere|||0000-0002-2177-1758, Ledesma Villalba, Alberto|||0000-0003-3321-3849
Format: article
Publication Date:2023
Country:España
Institution:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repository:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/387442
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/387442
https://dx.doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202338201002
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Soil mechanics
Mecànica dels sòls
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria civil::Geotècnia::Mecànica de sòls
Description
Summary:The behaviour of soils undergoing deformation due to changes in water content can be described using Soil Shrinkage Curves (SSCs). The SSCs are normally influenced by several factors as the soil’s fabric, different compaction levels, residual void ratio, and the shrinkage limit. In this study, shrinkage curves at different compaction levels were obtained using both wax coating and image analysis as volumetric quantification methods. Both techniques returned consistent results. To fit the obtained experimental data, a single equation is proposed with fitting parameters pertaining to the physical characteristics of the soil samples used. The use of Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry (MIP) is also incorporated to further analyse the structure of the soils being studied. The effect of the drying path on the structure was more apparent in the size range of 100-2000 nm. The effects of compaction on soil structure and shrinkage behaviour were also discussed in the study. The presented work provides valuable insights on the effect of different compaction levels on the soil shrinkage behaviour.