Level Surveys and Patterns of Movement in Collapsible and Expansive Soils Studies
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 31, Issue 1
Abstract
The demerits of level surveys for assessing foundation movements associated with moisture-induced volume change of soils have been well discussed and debated in the literature. In spite of the limitations of level surveys, and the associated strong desirability of benchmarked survey data for assessment of foundations movements on moisture sensitive soils, unbenchmarked level surveys continue to be used in forensic studies of buildings damaged by expansive and collapsible soils. The common uses and limitations of level survey data are briefly reviewed, and unbenchmarked level survey data are presented and discussed for three different cases of residential structures founded on collapsible and/or expansive clays. The level survey data are used, together with other available sources of information, in developing plausible explanations for building damage resulting from soil-wetting-induced differential movement of the structures.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Ron McOmber, P.E., Chairman and CEO, CTL Thompson, Inc., for providing his analyses and data for the hyperbolic curve fit and projections of remaining potential heave for the level survey data of Case 2 in this paper.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 31 • Issue 1 • February 2017
Copyright
© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 14, 2015
Accepted: Mar 3, 2016
Published online: May 18, 2016
Discussion open until: Oct 18, 2016
Published in print: Feb 1, 2017
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