Dry season problems created by volumetrically highly unstable marls and clays

TL;DRAbstract

Pathology induced in foundations by swelling soils and soft rocks has been widely recognized, and remedial measures have been put forward, with special emphasis placed upon determination of swelling pressures for restricted expansion and free expansion under saturation in oedometer. In arid areas, however, the dry season produces clay and marl shrinkage by loss of water content up to the shrinkage limit. During severe droughts, encompassing several successive years, ground shrinkage in marly and clayey terrains may extend to depths in excess of six meters, where loss of water content can be verified. When this occurs, sizeable settlements are unavoidable for any type of construction founded within the volumetrically unstable zone, and dry season pathologic trends are of large importance in materials broadly qualified as swelling or expansive. The shrinkage process introduces important cracking of the rigid ground, promoting new settlements and strength reductions of those soils and sof

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