VoIume change behaviour of cohesive soiIs

M. Dobrowolsky
University oI Kaiserslautern, Department oI Soil Mechanics and Foundation En-
gineering, dobrowrhrk.uni-kl.de
1 Abstract
The volume behaviour oI partly saturated soils is investigated within the scope oI
a subproject oI the DFG-Research Group 'Mechanik teilgesttigter Bden. The
subproject III, ProI. Helmig, is parallely involved with our work Ior the descrip-
tion oI the moisture transport in cohesive soils, which will later be integrated into
our concept.
The subject oI this paper are the constraints on geotechnical structures due to tem-
perature and moisture changes. The demand Ior a suitable constitutive equation
exists since such eIIects are only minimally resp. not at all observed the well-
known literature. There are diIIerent research papers in the literature dealing with
the subject 'expansive soils, like e.g. Irom: |15|, |5|, |10|, |11|, |12|, |13|, |7|,
|6| and others. But most oI these papers concentrate solely on the axial swelling
heave and hence, the resulting swell pressure. Systematic investigations Ior con-
straints Ior any state oI stress or deIormations under the consideration oI variable
water content, temperature and void ratios are still unavailable and are trying to be
completed in the context oI this research work. The investigation results leads
into an approach oI a constitutive relation, which is subsequently implemented
into a numerical programme.
2 Constitutive reIation
An objective constitutive equation is to be developed to describe the volume
change behaviour oI Iine grain soil due to moisture and temperature changes. The
volume change behaviour due to swelling
( )
SW
1 0
I I e , w(t), I , T,
c o
= t (1)
as well as due to shrinking
( )
SN
2 0
I I e , w(t), I , T, t
c o
= (2)
228 M. Dobrowolsky
is considered. Dependencies existing by the initial void ratio e
0
, the eIIective
stress I
o
, the degree oI saturation S
r
, the time t and the temperature T. As an in-
verse to equation (1), the swell pressure-strain relationship can also be written as a
product relation
SW SW SW
max 3 0
I I I (I , e , w(t), T,
o o c
= t) (3)
whereby is the 1
SW
max
I
o
st
invariant oI the stress tensor, which occurs due to swelling
at a constant volume . The maximum oI is likewise dependant on the men-
tioned parameters and can be written as
SW
max
I
o
( )
SW
max a 4 0 5 0 6
I P I (w ) I (e ) I
o
= T (4)
whereby P
a
is the atmospheric pressure.
SW
SW
SN
SN
SW
a)
b)
0
I
c
,tot
I
o ,0
I
o
,0
I
c
SW
,max
I
c
SN
I
c
A
SW
I
o
Fig. 1. DeIormations due to swelling and shrinkage oI a soil sample
For expansive soils both the initial stress condition as well as the swelling con-
strains act together in situ. For the Iollowing model only the spherical compo-
nents oI the stress tensor are considered. The 1
st
invariant oI the total stress con-
sists oI the preloading pressure and the swelling pressure:
SW
,tot ,0
I I I
o o o
= + (5)
The qualitive evolution oI the deIormation behaviour due to swelling, curve a) in
Iig. 1, is known Irom the literature, e.g. |15|. It is generally to be assumed Ior
shrinkage, that this can occur Ior any state oI deIormation or stress and a subse-
quent absorption will once again occur, curve b) in Iig. 1. With a decrease in total
stresses , the incremental volumetric shrinkage strain
,tot
I
o
SN
I
c
A expands and
reaches its peak value when the swell stress
SW
I
o
0 = . For the developed model
the interaction between the stress state and the volume change behavior is consid-
ered by the compression and swelling index with respect Iirst oI all and among
others to the degree oI saturation.
3 Test materiaI
The material chosen Ior the test is kaolinite (Iinely ground clay IBECO-Uniton)
which is described in |3|. In table 1 the clay mineral composition according to
Iactory speciIications and some soil-physical parameters are displayed.
Table 1: Clay Iractions and soil-physical parameters
Clay minerals
Kaolinite ~ 40
Illite 20
Smectite 5
Liquid limit
w
L
54,0
Plastic limit
w
P
21,3
Water absorption value aIter 4 h
w
A
73,5
The kaolinite is able to adhere to water in diIIerent manners. ThereIore the soil
water is distinguished in two components:
- Adsorption water, which is accumulated on the mineral surIaces and as well as
inside the material.
- Capillary water, which is retained in the pores by means oI surIace tension.
Both parts oI water are in equilibrium. The experimentally determined water con-
tent oI a specimen must be separated in both parts Ior the description oI the soil-
moisture tensions, which is only a Iunction oI the capillary water.
The adsorption water can be calculated Irom the water Iilm thickness and speciIic
surIace oI the soil in the saturated condition. A model was developed, e.g. by
|14|, which can determine the adsorpitve adhered part oI the total water content
Ior saturated conditions. This model is however not suitable Ior the purposes oI
this work since the adsorption water content must be known Ior any case oI un-
saturation. A relationship between the mentioned water components is to be ex-
perimentally determined by means oI multiphase absorption.
4 Test procedure
The aim oI the investigations is the determination oI the Iunctions Ior the equa-
tions (1) to (4) as well as the values oI the mentioned material parameters. There
are Iour series oI tests, which are considered. For the Iirst series, the oedometer
tests listed in table 2 are temporarily conducted.
Volume change behaviour oI cohesive soils 229
Table 2: Test programme, series 1
Initial void ratio e
0
|-| / Temperature T |C| Initial degree oI saturation
S
r0
|-|
0,68 0,78 0,88
0,68 20 5 20 35 20
0,78 20 5 20 35 20
0,88 20 5 20 35 20
All specimens in this series are watered Irom the value S
r,0
to saturated conditions
(S
r
1,0). The investigations Ior series 1 concentrate on the time dependent devel-
opment oI . S
SW
,max
I
o r,0 ,
e
0
and T are the variable parameters.
Oedometer tests are likewise perIormed in series 2. The eIIects Irom swelling
strain as well as skrink deIormations
SW
I
c
SN
I
c
to
SW
I
o
are also investigated, see
Iig. 1.
SW SW SN
I I (I , I ,......)
o c c
= (6)
The initial void ratio e
0
and degree oI saturation S
r,0
as well as the test temperature
T are the variable parameters.
The three dimensional swelling strain behaviour, by irrigation on all sides oI
the specimen will be investigated in triaxial tests in series 3. Some pre-tests are
perIormed with a Ioam cover in a standard triaxial cell. The results are compared
with those Irom the oedometer tests. The variables are hereby again e
0
, S
r,0
and T.
Multi-level saturation tests in an oedometer are perIormed in series 4. It is in-
vestigated whether the value is reached Ior multi-level absorption, see Iig.
2, which appears by immediate saturation. The results should provide inIormation
concerning the stress equilibrium, which was already addressed in chapter 3, and
the time dependences oI .
SW
,max
I
o
SW
I
o
0
sw
,max
I
o
sw
I
o
t
S
r,0
/ S
r,i
, i0,n
S
r,0
/ S
r,n
Fig. 2. Series 4: Multi-Level absorption,
SW
I
c
0 = , S
r,0
0,68 , S
r,n
1,0 , S
r,i
0,78 / 0,88 /
1,0 , T 20C
230 M. Dobrowolsky
5. Test impIementation
The aim oI the diIIerent test series is to observe the materials swelling, shrinking
and creeping under consideration oI the initial and boundary conditions. The ini-
tial and boundary conditions are aIIected by: The primary stress condition I
o,0
, the
temperature T, the void ratio e
0
, the degree oI saturation S
r0
, the relative humidity
H, the soil sample preparation whereby the most important points here are whether
the stress equilibrium, as is described in chapter 3, is already reached or not and
with which preload the sample was produced, see Iig. 3.
a) b)
e
e
SW
I
o
ln (o/o
0
)
1)
e
0

2)
C
C
C
S
SW
I
o
1)
e
0
C
C
e
0
C
S
e
0

2)
ln (o/o
0
)
Fig. 3. Stress-void ratio diagramme in a semi-logarithmic scale
Figure 3 shows the semi logarithmic relationship between the stress and the void
ratio oI a saturated soil. For the sake oI simplicity the behaviour oI unsaturated
soils is abutted to that oI saturated soils.
From point 1), the material is compressed to a value oI e
0
by means oI a static
compression and is then once again released. The initial void ratio e
0
is reached
aIter relaxation oI the specimen. For reloading due to
SW
I
o
until point 2), the eI-
Iects Irom C
S
resp. C
C
are signiIicant in curves a) resp. curve b). These eIIects
must be considered during both the sample production and the test itselI.
5.1 Series I
Cylindrical specimens with a diameter oI d100 mm and a height oI h
0
20 mm
are mounted in a oedometer cell with a treated inner surIace to provide smooth
sliding, Iig. 4. The Iinely ground clay is mixed with a speciIied water content in a
mixer at time t
0
with a value oI w
0
Ior the sample production.
Volume change behaviour oI cohesive soils 231
It is statically compressed with a preload pressure o
v
, until the desired void ratio e
0
is achieved. It was investigated in some pre-tests at which time the swelling proc-
ess ended aIter mixing oI the sample with w
0
. It is thereby warranted, that the
swelling due to w
0
already vanished at the beginning oI the test. The tests oI se-
ries 1 take place with a constant volume oI c
z
0 and a testing termperature oI
T20C. The swelling is investigated in dependance oI the Iabrication time oI the
specimen and the test time.
SW SW
a ,
I P I(t,......) I
o o
=
max
(7)
Furthermore, the test are perIormed with constant volume
SW
z max a 7 0 0
0 I P I (e , w , T, I )
o o
c = = (8)
Ior the determination oI .
SW
,max
I
o
Fig. 4. Oedometer device with additional load cell
5.2 Series II
The oedometer tests oI series 2 are built upon equation 8 oI series 1. A speciIied
deIormation in the z direction is permitted Ior the determination oI
SW
I
o
as a Iunc-
tion oI aIter reaching the maximum swelling stress.
SW
I
c
SW SW
z 8 0 0
0 I I (I , e , w , T, I , t
o c o
c = = ) (9)
232 M. Dobrowolsky
The samples in the oedometer ring subsequently shrink due to applied a vacuum at
the top and bottom plate and are once again absorbed thereaIter to maintain the
curves b) in Iig. 1.
Pre-tests are conducted Ior shrinkage in which the samples are placed between two
porous stones Iree oI preloading stresses, see Iig. 5. The samples have been stati-
cally compressed in a cylinder aIter mixing in such a way that the desired initial
soil values have been reached.
The samples were subsequently pressed out oI the cylinder, porous stones with
applied Iilter paper have been arranged on the sample ends and the desiccation
under isothermal conditions subsequently results. Filter paper on the surIaces en-
abled an unstrained sliding oI the sample. The axial and the radial displacements
oI the specimen were determined with a slide gauge and the water content oI the
soil material is detected by weighing.
Fig. 5. Four specimens in the shrinkage test
5.3 Series III
The pre-tests oI series III are carried out to develop a convenient Iabrication
method in order to ensure a homogeneous and isotropic behaviour in the axial and
radial direction oI the specimen. These tests are also oI interest relating to the re-
sults oI series I and II.
The cylindrical sample with a homogeneous initial degree oI saturation S
r,0
is
inserted into a hollow Ioam cylinder without any membrane on the surIaces |see
Fig. 6|. The Ioam covers the soil specimen and provides the stability oI the soil
grains due to pressure induced by water inIlow and it allows deIormations in all
directions due to the swelling process. To provide the soil Irom excess pore air
pressure, a vertical drainage is inserted inside the specimen.
The samples are subjected to diIIerent hydrostatic pressures up to o
0
100 kPa.
In this phase, the specimen begins to saturate. The test time, the temperature and
the inIlow quantity oI deaerated water in the specimen are measured. Furthermore,
Volume change behaviour oI cohesive soils 233
the deIormation oI the soil sample is recorded Irom beginning to end. While the
specimen is going to saturate (S
r
1,0), the eIIective stress oI the material de-
creases and totally vanishes when the specimen is Iully saturated (I
o
0). The
temperature as well as the total cell pressure remains constant during the swelling
process.
It can be seen Irom the test results that the radial deIormation is about 85 to
100 oI the axial deIormation in the Iinal state. Further investigations with con-
centrating on the diIIerences in the deIormation will Iollow. It is assumed in the
Iirst step that the triaxial swelling behaviour is reasonably homogenous.
Tests subjected to high eIIective stress states (I
o
~ 0) as well as investigations
oI the volume change behaviour considering watering and dewatering paths are
planned to be carry out with a modiIied triaxial cell.
Fig. 6. Specimen in its 'Ioam corset' aIter test completion
5.4 Series IV
Further multiple step absorption tests are perIormed in the oedometer machine
with an identical replica oI the specimen used in series 1. The samples are ab-
sorbed in three steps whereby a constant value oI
SW
I
o
must occur at the begin-
ning oI the next step, compare Iig. 2. The resutls are subsequently compared with
results Irom series 1.
234 M. Dobrowolsky
6. AnaIysis of the test resuIts
6.1 Series I
The saturation takes place in the oedometer by Iixed top plate, c
z
0. The swell-
ing pressures due to S
r,0
are already abated at the beginning oI the test. Figure 7
exemplarily shows the results oI a swelling pressure test with constant volume and
an initial stress o
z
8,0 kPa in semi logarithmic Iorm. The sample pertaining to
Iigure 7 was almost saturated aIter roughly one hour and
SW
I
o
reached 91
Irom .
SW
,max
I
o
-
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
1 1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Time
S
w
e
l
l
i
n
g

P
r
e
s
s
u
r
e
|
k
P
a
|
1" 5" 10" 30" 1' 2' 5' 30' 1h 2h 4h 8h 12h 1d 2d 12
S
r,t
1,0
d
Begin oI soil irrigation
Fig. 7. Swell pressure-time curve, e
0
0,78 , S
r0
0,88 , T 20 C , AI
c
0
The maximum swell pressure occurs aIter t 4 h. Figure 8
displays Iurther results Irom series 1.
SW SW
,max z,max
I 3
o
= o
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
0,60 0,70 0,80 0,90 1,00
Ini ti al Degree of Saturation S
r0
-]
M
a
x
.

S
w
e
l
l
i
n
g

P
r
e
s
s
u
r
e


I
s
,
m
a
x

k
P
a
]
e0=0,68
e0=0,78
e0=0,88
Fig. 8. Max. swell pressure in dependence oI the initial saturation as well as the void ratio
Volume change behaviour oI cohesive soils 235
The results in Iigure 8 show that the swelling pressure is signiIicantly reduced
with increasing void ratio and thereby a decreasing sample stiIIness. The same
tendancy exists Ior Iixed e
0
-values and increasing initial saturation. All samples
were loaded with same preloading pressure o
v
8 kPa.
6.2 Series II
The samples swell up to a value oI
SW
I
c
and a subsequent loss oI moisture occurs
and in turn, a shrinkage oI the sample. Variable parameters are e
0
, w and T. A
test result is examplarily displayed in Iigure 9.
It is evident that both the volume and density remain relatively constant aIter the
shrinkage limit w
s
is reached. The water tensions cause larger deIormations as Iar
as this shrinkage limit.
-20,0
-16,0
-12,0
-8,0
-4,0
0,0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Water Content ]
V
o
i
u
m
e
t
r
i
c

S
h
r
i
n
k
i
n
g

S
t
r
a
i
n
c

]
1,30
1,35
1,40
1,45
1,50
1,55
1,60
1,65
1,70
1,75
1,80
D
r
y

D
e
n
s
i
t
y

d

[
g
/
c
m

d
S
r
1,0
Shrinking-Graph
w
s
Fig. 9. Results Irom a shrinkage test, e
0
0,88 , Sr
0
0,98, w
0
0,32 , T 20 C
The results oI three shrinkage tests with diIIerent initial degree oI saturations and
constant initial void ratio are expressed in Iigure 10. The curves oI the lower wa-
ter contents are similar to each other, but the almost saturated sample (w
0
0,25)
exhibits a noteworthy larger degree oI shrinkage.
236 M. Dobrowolsky
-20,0
- 17,5
- 15,0
- 12,5
- 10,0
-7,5
-5,0
-2,5
0,0
0,0 0,1 0,2 0,3 0,4 0,5 0,6 0,7 0,8 0,9 1,0
Degree Of Sat urat ion S
r , t
[ - ]
c

w0=0,20
w0=0,225
w0=0,25
Degree oI Saturation S
r,t
||
V
o
l
u
m
e
t
r
i
c

S
h
r
i
n
k
i
n
g

S
t
r
a
i
n
I
c

|

|
Fig. 10. Compilation oI three shrinkage curves with diIIerent initial saturation., e
0
0,68 ,
T 20 C, o
v
const.
The preloading pressure o
v
is kept constant Ior all three tests. The swell time at
the beginning oI the tests is 24 h. An excessive hydrostatic pressure results Irom
the preloading and is removed within this period and the sample relaxes.
6.3 Series III
The samples are subjected to an isotropic stress level oI I
o
300 kPa 24 hours aIter
mixing the material with the initial water content w
0
.
0,84
0,86
0,88
0,90
0,92
0,94
0,96
0,98
0,0 2,0 4,0 6,0 8,0 10,0 12,0 14,0
Vol umetri c Strai n
Ac
]
D
e
g
r
e
e

o
f
S
a
t
u
r
a
t
i
o
n

S
r

-
]
Fig. 11. Volumetric strain degree oI saturation curve, e
0
0,78 , w
0
25,0 , T 20 C,
I
o (Sr-1,0)
0 kPa
Volume change behaviour oI cohesive soils 237
The swell strain versus saturation curve is exemplary expressed in Iigure 11. The
sample was irrigated Ior 7 days until the maximum volumetric swell strain was
reached. Further maximum swell strains aIter saturation Ior diIIerent initial de-
grees oI saturation S
r,0
are shown in Iigure 12. The samples had three diIIerent
initial void ratios.
8,0
9,0
10,0
11,0
12,0
13,0
14,0
15,0
16,0
17,0
18,0
0,60 0,70 0,80 0,90 1,00
Ini ti al Degree Of Saturati on S
r0
-]
M
a
x
.

S
w
e
l
l
i
n
g
S
t
r
a
i
n

I
c
,
m
a
x

-
]
e0=0,68
e0=0,78
e0=0,88
Fig. 12. Relationship oI the maximum swell strain to the initial degree oI saturation with
diIIerent initial void ratios, T 20 C, I
o
0 kPa, o
v
const.
The swell strains increase with an decrease in the initial void ratio as well as a de-
crease in initial degree oI saturation. Additional tests must show whether every
curve possesses a common plateau with a decrease in initial degree oI saturation.
7. Future deveIopments
The temperature and the absorption resp. desiccation time eIIects on the swell
tests and shrinkage tests are to be investigated more closely. The tests are contin-
ued in every series, whereby the pre-tests in series 2 are completed and the main
investigations can be started. The boundary conditions Irom series 3 are adjusted
with those Irom series 1.
The available amount oI data allows only an approximate determination oI the
necessary parameter values. The constitutive relations shall then be implemented
in a Iinite element programme and initial boundary conditions shall be investi-
gated.
We are expecting speciIications Irom the subproject III Irom the DFG-Research
Group, under management oI ProI. Dr.-Ing. Rainer Helmig, concerning the time
progression oI a homogeneous distribution oI the degree oI saturation in samples
as well as subsoil sectors and relations Ior the description oI the moisture transport
in soil depending on the temperature T, water content w
0
and the void ratio e
0
.
238 M. Dobrowolsky
Volume change behaviour oI cohesive soils 239
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