SOIL DENSITY EFFECTS ON COMPRESSIBILITY AND EXPANSION BEHAVIOR

Abstract

Soil compressibility and swelling are key properties for the design and long-term performance evaluation of geotechnical structures. These deformation parameters directly influence the stability, settlements, and deformations of foundations, embankments, and retaining structures. Soil density is an essential parameter controlling deformation properties, particularly compression and swelling indices. Although widely studied, this relationship sometimes remains controversial, particularly for fine-grained cohesive soils. This research aims to further investigate the influence of density on Cc and Cs for an extended range of soils with low to high fines content. An experimental campaign of consolidation tests was carried out on clay sand mixtures undergoing an imposed stress path. The results of this study reveal a negative correlation between compressibility and fines content, contrasted by a positive relationship with swelling. These contradictory findings are attributed to the predominant effect of density.