Equivalent Effective Stress and Compressibility of Unsaturated Kaolinite Clay Subjected to Drying
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 134, Issue 3
Abstract
Three-dimensional compressibility tests performed on unsaturated kaolinite clay subjected to drying showed that the volume change is a function of the equivalent effective stress (EES). The EES in the clay at different water contents was measured by performing direct tensile tests. When the clay has high water content (saturated funicular state), its volume decreases notably as the water content is reduced, i.e., the equivalent effective stress is increased. If the clay has a water content in an intermediate interval (complete pendular state), the volume is almost constant because the equivalent effective stress is almost constant. For the interval of low water contents (partial pendular state), the volume of the clay increases as the water content is reduced. This occurs because the equivalent effective stress is reduced when the moisture content in the clay is reduced, and contrasts with the saturated funicular state. The minimum volume in the clay was reached when the maximum equivalent effective stress was developed. A conceptual framework explains the influence of the different states of water distribution to the EES.
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Acknowledgments
This research was developed by the writer as a Graduate Student in the School of Engineering in the University of Pittsburgh. The support received from the University is gratefully acknowledged. The writer would like to show his gratitude to his advisor in the University of Pittsburgh, Professor Luis E. Vallejo, and also to Dr. Sebastian Loboguerrero for his revisions and suggestions to the manuscript, and to Edifica Colombia Ltda for the financial support provided through this investigation. The writer would like to show his gratitude to the reviewers from the ASCE who contributed to clarity and accuracy of descriptions presented in the paper.
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Information
Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 134 • Issue 3 • March 2008
Pages: 366 - 378
Copyright
© 2008 ASCE.
History
Received: Aug 21, 2006
Accepted: Jul 27, 2007
Published online: Mar 1, 2008
Published in print: Mar 2008
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