Effect of wetting and drying cycles on the shear strength of unsaturated residual clays | |
| Author | Rana, Aizaz Adnan |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.GE-19-14 |
| Subject(s) | Geology--Thailand Soil profiles--Thailand Soil mechanics--Thailand Shear strength of soils |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering in Geotechnical and Earth Resources Engineering |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | Unsaturated soil mechanics uses the same principles as of the saturated soil mechanics. Usually, a soil structure is designed on the basis of its saturated shear strength which is convenient but not very cost effective. The unsaturated soil mechanics requires rigorous testing to obtain the necessary data which allows us to calculate the exact value of shear strength at any particular suction and moisture content. In the current research the behavior of residual clay’s shear strength is studied when exposed to various cycles of wetting and drying and the results have been documented. Thailand, being a country in a tropical region is exposed to excessive rainfall during the rainy season followed by a dry season. Numerous cases of landslides and slope failures have occurred which have been studied and documented. The soil sampling for this study was done from Saraburi province, Thailand. Index properties were computed using the index properties testing. The sampling in this research is unique as the soil sample was washed through sieve number 200 and fine particles were separated to be used for testing. Unconsolidated undrained (UU) triaxial tests were employed on four (04) samples at confining pressures of 100kPa and 200kPa for both saturated condition and dry condition to compute the shear strength parameters. Eleven (11) UCS tests were conducted on samples at initial condition, wetting cycles and drying cycles. The results indicate that shear strength decreases in a gradual manner with the various cycles of wetting and drying. The shear strength on the drying route is still higher in comparison to that of the wetting cycle’s path. The shear strength reduction is very prominent in the first three cycles and then it becomes relatively constant for both wetting and drying cycles. |
| Year | 2020 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Engineering and Technology (SET) |
| Department | Department of Civil and Infrastucture Engineering (DCIE) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Geotechnical Engineering (GE) |
| Chairperson(s) | Chao, Kuo-Chieh; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Pham Huy Giao;Avirut Putiwongrak; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Asian Institute of Technology Fellowship; |
| Degree | Thesis (M. Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2020 |