FOUNDATION ON COLLAPSIBLE AND

EXPANSIVE SOILS

Presented by
Binu John
Roll no: 03

Guided by
Dr. Vijayakumari P L, Professor
Department of Civil Engineering
Marian Engineering College

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 COLLAPSIBLE SOIL

 A collapsible soil is also known as loess. It is basically a clayey silt with a

metastable structure. Collapsible soils consist of loose, dry, low-density
materials that collapse and compact under the addition of water or excessive
loading.
 Collapsible soil shows high strength and stiffness at normal water content
conditions. On the other hand upon wetting it suffers a sudden plastic
deformation, i.e. collapse, which could be severe in some cases.
 The sudden and usually large volume change could cause considerable
structural damage.

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 EXPANSIVE SOIL

 Expansive soils as the name imply refer to soils which have the tendency to
swell or shrink as a result of changes in environmental conditions.
 Soils with a high content of expansive minerals can form deep cracks in drier
seasons or years; such soils are called vertisols. Soils with smectite clay
minerals, including montmorillonite and bentonite , have the most dramatic
shrink-swell capacity.
 Expansive clay is a clay soil that is prone to large volume changes that are
directly related to changes in water content.
 Soils with a high content of expansive minerals can form deep cracks in drier
seasons or years.

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 Photograph of expansive soils under very dry conditions. Severe soil shrinkage
Has resulted in desiccation cracks

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 PAPERS PRESENTED IN SEMINAR

SSS
S.NO TITLE OF THE PAPER
PAPER I Foundations On Collapsible And Expansive Soils: An Overview.

PAPER II Soil Improvement Techniques of Collapsible Soil.

PAPER III Foundations on Expansive Soils: A Review .

PAPER IV Geotechnical Properties of Problematic Soils Emphasis on Collapsible Cases

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S.NO TITLE OF THE PAPER
PAPER V Special Considerations in Design of Foundation in Problematic Soils

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 COLLAPSE POTENTIAL FOR COLLAPSIBLE SOIL

 Identification of collapsible soil is best accomplished by testing specimens.

 A procedure for determining the collapse potential of a soil was suggested by
Jennings and Knight (1975).
 The procedure is as follows: A sample of an undisturbed soil is cut and fit
into a consolidometer ring and loads are applied progressively until about
200KPa is reached.
 At this pressure the specimen is flooded with water for saturation and left for
24 hours. The consolidation test is carried on to its maximum loading.

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 COLLAPSE POTENTIAL

 The collapsibility index is defined as,

where,
IC =Collapsibility index.

H1= Initial soil sample thickness (before saturation).

H2= Final thickness of the soil sample (after saturation).

 Jennings and Knight have suggested some values for collapse potential as
shown in table 3. These values are only qualitative to indicate the severity of
the problem.

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 COLLAPSE POTENTIAL

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SWELLING POTENTIAL FOR EXPANSIVE SOILS

 Simple soil property tests can be used for the evaluation of the swelling
potential of expansive soils.
 Such tests are easy to perform and should be used as routine tests in the
investigation of building sites in those areas having expansive soil.
 These tests are as follow:
a) Atterberg limit tests.
b) Linear shrinkage tests.
c) Free swell tests.

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 SWELLING POTENTIAL

ATTERBERG LIMIT TEST:

 Holtz and Gibbs (1956) demonstrated that the plasticity index (Ip) and the
liquid limit, are useful indices for determining the swelling characteristics of
most clays.
 Since the liquid limit and the swelling of clays both depend on the amount of
water a clay tries to absorb, it is natural that they are related.
 The relation between the swelling potential of clays and the plasticity index
has been established as given in Table 4.

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14.10.2019 SEMINAR 13
 SWELLING POTENTIAL

LINEAR SHRINKAGE TEST:

Altmeyer (1955) suggested the values given in Table 5 as a guide to the
determination of potential expansiveness based on shrinkage limits and linear
shrinkage.

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 SWELLING POTENTIAL

FREE SWELL TEST :

 According to Holtz and Gibbs (1956), 10 cm3 (Vi) of dry soil passing thorough
No. 40 sieve is poured into a 100 cm3 graduated cylinder filled with water.
 The volume of settled soil is measured after 24 hours which gives the value of
(Vf ).
 Bentonite clay is supposed to have a free swell value ranging from 1200 to
2000 %. The free swell value increases with plasticity index.

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 SWELLING POTENTIAL
 Holtz and Gibbs suggested that soils having a free-swell value as low as 100 %
can cause considerable damage to lightly loaded structures and soils heaving a
free swell value below 50 % seldom exhibit appreciable volume change even
under light loadings.
 Free swell is defined as,

where,
Vi= initial dry volume of poured soil.

Vf =final volume of poured soil.

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 PROBLEM ASSOCIATED WITH PROBLEMATIC
SOILS
COLLAPSIBLE SOILS :
 Collapsible soils result in structural damage such as cracking of the foundation,
floors, and walls in response to settlement.
 Soil collapse occurs when the land surface is saturated at depths greater than
those reached by typical rain events. This saturation eliminates the clay bonds
holding the soil grains together.
 Geologists work with geotechnical engineers to identify soils prone to collapse
and evaluate their potential to fail under loading and/or saturation.

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 Human activities that facilitate soil collapse include:
• Irrigation.
• Water impoundment.
• Watering the lawn.
• Changing the natural drainage.
• Disposal of wastewater.

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 PROBLEM ASSOCIATED WITH PROBLEMATIC
SOILS
EXPANSIVE SOILS :
 Expansive soil is characterized by clayey material that shrinks and swells as it
dries or becomes wet, respectively. In addition, trees and shrubs placed closely
to a structure can lead to soil drying and subsequent shrinkage.
 Problems often associated with expansive soils include:
• Foundation cracks.
• Heaving and cracking of floor slabs and walls.
• Jammed doors and windows.
• Ruptured pipelines.
• Heaving and cracking of sidewalks and roads.

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 DESIGN OF FOUNDATION

COLLAPSIBLE SOILS :
 Foundation design in collapsible soil is a very difficult task.
 The results from laboratory or field tests can be used to predict the likely
settlement that may occur under severe conditions. In many cases, deep
foundations, such as piles, piers etc., may be used to transmit foundation loads
to deeper bearing strata below the collapsible soil deposit.
 In cases where it is feasible to support the structure on shallow foundations in or
above the collapsing soils, the use of continuous strip footings may provide a
more economical and safer foundation than isolated footings (Clemence and
Finbarr, 1981).

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 DESIGN OF FOUNDATION

Differential settlements between columns can be minimized, and a more equitable

distribution of stresses may be achieved with the use of strip footing design as shown in fig.

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 DESIGN OF FOUNDATION

EXPANSIVE SOILS :
 The area covered by the expansive clay can be excavated and replaced with
gravelly materials if the thickness is small. It can be removed in strips below
the foundation though this may still produce some unacceptable movement
which could result in some degree of failure.
 Some foundation design for expansive clay may include are ;

a) Raft Foundation.

b) Shallow Foundation.

c) Pile Foundation.

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 DESIGN OF FOUNDATION

RAFT FOUNDATION :
It can be designed to withstand the large differential movement, depending
on the size and layout of the structure. This method is not economical but it is
very effective since the load from the structure is imposed on a mass of concrete
with sufficient thickness.

SHALLOW FOUNDATION :
The footing design can be adopted where the expansive soil stratum is
relatively thin which allows the footing to be placed in a low expansive stratum.
Small movement may still occur. This can be prevented by the use of pad
foundations which would increase its structural integrity.

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 DESIGN OF FOUNDATION

PILE FOUNDATION :
 The foundation in expansive soils is used to transmit the structure’s load to a
more stable stratum below the clay.
 They have a very high potential to reduce differential movement in expansive
soils and this is mainly because of their ability to resist uplift forces due to
swelling of clay layers in the upper soil when properly installed. (Ahmed 2005).
 Piles may be used to transmit the loads to a firm soil layer which is below the
expansive soil layer.

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 TREATMENT FOR COLLAPSIBLE SOILS

COLLAPSIBLE SOILS :
If the compressible soil is susceptible to wetting, it will collapse after
construction some time later. To avoid foundation failure, preventive measures
are adopted before the construction. Some of the commonly used methods are
given below:
a) Re-Compaction.
b) Chemical solution.
c) Pre-wetting.
d) Ponding.
e) Vibro-flotation.
f) Stone columns.
g) Control of drainage.
h) Soil replacement techniques

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 TREATMENT FOR COLLAPSIBLE SOILS

 RE-COMPACTION:
If the expected depth of wetting is up to about 1.5m from the ground surface,
the collapsible soil moistened before the construction of the foundation. The
moist soil is compacted by heavy rollers. Spread footings and rafts may be
constructed on the compacted soil. An alternative to re-compaction by rollers is to
use heavy tamping. About 8 to 30m drop of the ponder is generally effective in
the densification of the soil.

 CHEMICAL SOLUTION:
In this method, the foundation trenches are filled with a solution of sodium
silicate and calcium chloride to stabilize the soil chemically.

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 TREATMENT FOR COLLAPSIBLE SOILS

After stabilization, the collapsible soil behaves like a soft sand stone and resists
collapsible after saturation. However, the method is effective only when the solution
can penetrate the collapsible soil at the side walls and base of the foundation trench
to the desired depth. The method is quite effective for fine sands .
For the compressible soils susceptible to wetting to a depth of greater than
1.5m, the following methods are quite effective:

 PREWETTING:
Prewetting means flooding or wetting the soil which is expected to exhibit
collapse upon saturation before the structure is built, so that soil collapse will be
minimized after the structure is built.

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 TREATMENT FOR COLLAPSIBLE SOILS

Pre-wetting was found to be one of the easiest and least costly treatments but it
proved to be completely ineffective in reducing collapse potential.

 PONDING:
In this method, low dikes are constructed around the construction site and
the whole site is flooded with water to cause collapsible of the soil before the
construction is started. However, this method is effective only when there is an
impervious stratum beneath the collapsible soil deposit to prevent seepage.

 VIBRO-FLOTATION:
Vibro-flotation is used to compact the collapsible soil before construction.
This method is effective only for free-draining soils.

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 TREATMENT FOR COLLAPSIBLE SOILS

 STONE-COLUMNS:
Vibroflotation may be used to densify the collapsible soils. The process involves
the use of vibrating unit . It can vibrate horizontally with an eccentric weight inside
it; there are also water jets at the top and bottom of the unit. This method is
suitable for collapsible soil with low fines.

 CONTROL OF DRAINAGE:
Potential water sources which causes wetting may be controlled by providing
suitable drainage. If necessary impervious membranes can be used to stop seepage.
Sometimes, infiltration wells are used for drainage. Construction of foundations on a
collapsible soil is a challenging task.

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 TREATMENT FOR COLLAPSIBLE SOILS

 SOIL REPLACEMENT TECHNIQUES:

Soil replacement is one of the most familiar techniques in dealing with
collapsible soils. It is implemented by removing the weak soil and replacing it with a
better compacted soil. Unfortunately, the determination of replacement layer
thickness is questionable because it is based on experience.

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 TREATMENT FOR EXPANSIVE SOILS

EXPANSIVE SOILS
Many researchers such as Peck et al. (1974), Bowels (1988), Kalantari (1991)
and Murphy (2010) propose three general methods to prevent structural damages
to newly constructed buildings when expansive soils are present are:
a) Elimination or reduction of swelling.
b) Use of sufficiently strong structures that will remain undamaged despite the
swelling.
c) Isolating the structure from the swelling soil.

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 CASE STUDIES
COLLAPSIBLE SOIL :
Conditions in arid and semi-arid climates favor the formation of the most
collapsible soils. Collapsible soils are to be found in many parts of the Iran,
particularly well-known examples being the extensive deposits of collapsible soils in
Esfahan, Fars and Khorasan provinces.

 SOUTH RUDASHT IRRIGATION NETWORK CHANNEL:

South Rudasht irrigation channel network is located on south east of Isfahan
province. Foundation of main channel from distance 5 to 13 kilometer composed of
fine grain materials, 2.5 to 3 meters in depth.

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 CASE STUDIES
To identify geotechnical properties of the soils, picked 6 undisturbed samples
from 6 points and done laboratory test. General properties selected samples are
shown in Table 6.

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 CASE STUDIES
The soil samples classified in unified system. Results of classification tests are
shown in Figure 6.

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 CASE STUDIES

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 CASE STUDIES

After determine the physical and plasticity properties of soil samples, liquid limit of
samples are plotted vs dry density as Figure 2. Regarding to field observations and Figure
2, samples 2 and 3 have collapse potential.

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 CASE STUDIES

Laboratory tests have been done in all samples. Generally, pay attention to Table
8, samples 2 to 5 are high or severe collapsible and need improvement. Samples 1
and 6 have no critical collapse problem and no need to any improvement.

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 As it is shown in Fig 2, strain in sample 2, under vertical stress equal to 100 KPa,
has been changed from 4% to about 17% in saturation conditions. It is concluded
that sample 2, from point view of collapsibility, has severe trouble. In contrary,
regarding to sample 6, strain value has been changed from 2% to about 4%,
under the same conditions. This sample has moderate trouble.

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 CASE STUDIES
EXPANSIVE SOILS :
 Expansive soils as the name imply refer to soils which have the tendency to swell or
shrink as a result of changes in environmental conditions. These types of soils are
common in the Haspolat region of North Cyprus.
 Soil samples were obtained by Rotary core drilling with a borehole depth of up to 12
m. Peat Soil was observed from the depth of 0 to 0.1m which is regarded as the
topsoil. Further penetration from 0.1 to 7.75m revealed varying types of clay with
high plasticity which explains its tendency to shrink and swell when exposed to the
meteorological conditions of North Cyprus. Foundation types except pile foundations
are constructed within these depths which makes them susceptible to failure.

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 CASE STUDIES
 When a change in the water content of the soil takes place which is independent of
the loading, they experience slow volume changes and these are attributed to the
swelling and shrinkage The effects of expansive soils are more obvious in non-load
bearing walls, fences, low rise buildings, and roads as they do not have sufficient
weight to resist the pressure produced by the expansion.
 Changes in moisture content in expansive clay below a building foundation can result
in vertical movements which occurs from the start of the construction, because the
vegetation that existed before it was cleared to make way for the excavation of
foundation trenches, reduced the moisture content of the soil by absorbing it.

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 CONCLUSION
 There are many types of problematic soils. Some of the most noteworthy are swelling
clay, dispersive soils and collapsible soils.
 There are several methods to improvement of problematic soils. It can be used one
method or combination of different methods, depend on project conditions.
 There are many available improvement techniques that can be used for the purposes
of increasing bearing capacity and decreasing settlement of collapsible soil and
expansive soils.
 Determining of physical properties such as dry density and liquid limit of soils can be
helpful to identify collapse potential of soils.

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 CONCLUSION
 Most of researches investigated the effect of using different soil improvement
techniques on increasing soil bearing capacity and /or decreasing the expected
settlement while, there is a lack of researches which consider the cost of foundation
works as one of the governing factors when selecting between different soil
improvement techniques.
 Soil replacement is one of the most familiar techniques in dealing with collapsible
soils. Unfortunately, the determination of replacement layer thickness is questionable
because it is based on experience.

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THANKYOU

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