Influence of induced cementation on compressibility and shear behaviour of tropical residual soils

The analysis and prediction of the behavior of sedimented soils are fairly well established and widely accepted. The behavior of tropical residual soils is different from that of sedimented soils owing to the basic differences that exist in the formation of the soil itself. The present study considers some of the important aspects of understanding the compressibility and shear behavior of tropical residual soils with induced cementation. The soils identified for the present investigation were from three different locations in the Rayalaseema region in the state of Andhra Pradesh, which is known to be tropical in nature. The liquid limits of soils range from 30 to 80%, encompassing wide range of liquid limit values normally encountered in practice. The experimental program comprised oedometer compression tests on soil samples with initial conditions corresponding to a very loose state and subsequently subjected to inundation and induced cementation. Triaxial compression tests were conducted with precise pore pressure measurements on both induced and remolded soil samples. The analysis of the test results clearly indicates the behavior of tropical residual soils subjected to inundation and induced cementation on compressibility and strength behavior in relation to the behavior of remolded saturated soils.