Soil swelling is measured using saran‐coated natural‐fabric samples to obtain the coefficient of linear extensibility (COLE) in soil genesis and characterization studies. It is measured using crushed and sieved samples to obtain the potential volume change (PVC) for on‐site investigations of potential building sites. For 30 samples from various horizons of soils in 10 states, the two measurements have the general relationship COLE × 60 = PVC. In coarse‐textured soils and in clayey soils high in kaolinite or mica but with no montmorillonite COLE ranges up to 0.03, and PVC up to 2.9; in clayey soils high in montmorillonite COLE ranges from 0.03 to 0.18, and PVC from 1.5 to over 9.0. The range of swelling potential in the montmorillonitic samples is related to the amount of clay and the fabric of the soil.
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Franzmeier et al. (1968) studied this question.