Changes in Swell Behavior of Expansive Clay Soils from Dilution with Sand

Research Article| February 01, 2006 Changes in Swell Behavior of Expansive Clay Soils from Dilution with Sand NICK HUDYMA; NICK HUDYMA 1Division of Engineering, University of North Florida, 4567 St. Johns Bluff Road South, Jacksonville, FL 32224 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar B. BURÇIN AVAR B. BURÇIN AVAR 2Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick & Co., Ltd., Royal Court, Basil Close, Chesterfield, Derbyshire S41 7SL, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information NICK HUDYMA 1Division of Engineering, University of North Florida, 4567 St. Johns Bluff Road South, Jacksonville, FL 32224 B. BURÇIN AVAR 2Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick & Co., Ltd., Royal Court, Basil Close, Chesterfield, Derbyshire S41 7SL, UK Publisher: Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1558-9161 Print ISSN: 1078-7275 © 2006 Association of Engineering Geologists Environmental & Engineering Geoscience (2006) 12 (2): 137–145. https://doi.org/10.2113/12.2.137 Article history First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation NICK HUDYMA, B. BURÇIN AVAR; Changes in Swell Behavior of Expansive Clay Soils from Dilution with Sand. Environmental & Engineering Geoscience 2006;; 12 (2): 137–145. doi: https://doi.org/10.2113/12.2.137 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyEnvironmental & Engineering Geoscience Search Advanced Search Abstract Volume changes associated with expansive soils cause considerable distress to lightly loaded engineered structures, especially slab-on-grade residential structures, roadways, and masonry block walls. There are numerous techniques, such as physicochemical stabilization, mechanical stabilization, and preventative practices, that are recommended for mitigating the effects of expansive soils. In this paper, two expansive soils from southern Nevada were mixed with varying percentages of fine silica sand, and a series of laboratory tests were conducted on the soil mixtures to assess changes in soil classification, plasticity index, swelling behavior through surcharge expansion tests, and potential volume change (PVC) tests. Additionally, the clay mineralogy was determined by x-ray diffraction. For both soils, an increase in the percentage of mixed silica sand by 0 to 75 percent decreased the plasticity index such that the soils were categorized as non-expansive or having very low swell potential. The relationship between plasticity index and percentage of added sand was described using a simple dilution model. The swell characteristics of the soils, based on surcharge expansion tests and potential volume change tests, decreased with increasing percentages of mixed silica sand, and non-soil-specific empirical models were developed to predict the changes. These experiments show that soil mixing is a promising technique that could be implemented to mitigate the effects of expansive soils. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.