Abstract
Failure of highway pavement and collapse of building in basement complex of Nigeria is often related to the instability of the residual. This study evaluated the strength characteristics of gneiss-derived residual Soils as materials usable for road pavement structures. A total of eleven soil samples derived from granite gneiss were subjected to laboratory geotechnical analyses based on standard practices. The geotechnical analyses reveal the soils’ natural moisture content, specific gravity, grain sizes, consistency limits, shearing strengths, maximum dry density, and optimum moisture content. Based on AASHTO classification, the soil samples are classified as A-7-6, A-6, and A-7-5. The results of the laboratory analyses revealed that the natural moisture content and specific gravity ranged from 8.30 to 22.70% and 2.6 to 2.8 respectively. Particle size analysis reveals that the coarse contents of the soils ranged from 28.8% to 59.8% and amount of fines ranged from 40.2 to 71.2%. The liquid limit ranged from 31.3% to 68.3%, plastic limit ranged from 20% to 28.0%, plasticity index ranged from 4.8% to 38.90% and linear shrinkage ranged from 5.7 to 13.6%. The maximum dry density ranged from 1481 kg/m3to 1921 kg/m3and optimum moisture content ranged from 15.2% to 27.6%. Undrained triaxial shear strength (Cu) ranged from 43.0 Kpa to 250.3Kpa, angle of friction ranges from 11.7 to 29.30, and unconfined compressive strength ranged from 153 to 356.5Kpa. The results indicate that the residual soils are poor sub-grade and foundation materials due to their high amount of fines, linear shrinkage values, plasticity, and swelling potential, as well as low maximum dry density.
Highlights
Construction of durable road is a vital infrastructure in the socio-economic development of most nations as it links up states and allow exchange of economic values, creation of job opportunities and sustainability of life
This study evaluated the strength characteristics of gneiss-derived residual Soils as materials usable for road pavement structures
The results indicate that the residual soils are poor sub-grade and foundation materials due to their high amount of fines, linear shrinkage values, plasticity, and swelling potential, as well as low maximum dry density
Summary
Construction of durable road is a vital infrastructure in the socio-economic development of most nations as it links up states and allow exchange of economic values, creation of job opportunities and sustainability of life. Several road failure features are noticeable overtime after the completion of the designed road with obvious destructive signs such as cracking, rutting, potholes, differential heave, deformation and peeling This results into rehabilitation, high cost of maintenance, loss of lives and properties. The soils tend to be characterized by angular to sub-angular particles, mineralogy similar to parent rock, and the presence of large angular fragments within the overall soil mass [2]. They are highly structured soils which may be cemented depending on the degree of weathering. Temperature and other tropic related factors have favoured the development of significant thicknesses of residual soils in many parts of the world
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