The influence of the clay component in loess on collapse of the soil structure

Abstract

In tests, air-dry samples were flooded with different fluids whilst under load in order to investigate the influence of the clay fraction within the soils on the collapse process. Not only did the various fluids influence the amount of collapse that occurred on flooding but also the compressibility of the soil structure for subsequent load application post-flooding. The results indicate that the collapse phenomenon occurs through micro-shearing at the intergranular contacts and is influenced by the clay component in the soils. An explanation of the phenomenon is presented in terms of a modified effective stress equation. -from Author