Field Measurements of Yazoo Clay Reveal Expansive Soil Design Issues
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 25, Issue 1
Abstract
Field measurements of foundation movements in central Mississippi have revealed design issues involving expansive soils. At one building, field measurements of the first floor slab at 14 locations show that heaving occurred at a steady rate during part of an extensive drought. The steady rate was maintained throughout the final 21.5 months of a 23.5-month study period following a record drought that occurred at the beginning of the study. The average change in the movement rate was 2.9 mm (0.11 in.) per year over the last 21.5 months. Median movement rates for all the pins varied from 25 mm (0.98 in.) per year to 1.8 mm (0.07 in.) per year excluding the measurements made during the first part of the drought. Elevation surveys at another facility show how the rate of heave is influenced by geologic variations. These surveys also show how the depth of clay (from the surface) influenced heave and how differential movements of a structure are produced from these variations in geology. Design procedures for kind of movement are discussed.
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Acknowledgments
The writer thanks the many property owners who permitted the use of all the research and documentation used in this paper. Agreements limit the disclosure of specific names, places, and construction details. The writer also thanks Reynolds Engineering, Inc., Aquaterra Engineering, LLC, and Maptech, Inc. who performed the elevation surveys used in this paper and Cynthia Shaw for editorial assistance.
References
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 25 • Issue 1 • February 2011
Pages: 18 - 23
Copyright
© 2011 ASCE.
History
Received: Jun 26, 2009
Accepted: Nov 20, 2009
Published online: Dec 29, 2009
Published in print: Feb 2011
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