Shrink Test–Water Content Method for Shrink and Swell Predictions

A new method is proposed to estimate the vertical movement of the ground surface for soil that swells and shrinks due to variations in water content. The water content is used as the main soil parameter and a shrink test is suggested to obtain the relationship between the change in water content and the volumetric strain induced. We propose estimating the change in water content and the depth of seasonal moisture changes from local databases or from existing techniques. The method is evaluated by comparing the predicted movement and the measured movement of four full-scale spread footings over a period of 2 years.