Abstract
Peaty soils have an extremely high water content and a low specific gravity of solids (G s) compared with most inorganic soils. Accurate knowledge of the G s value allows void ratio computations for given water contents and densities. However, G s determinations using the standard pycnometer test are time consuming and pernickety, such that the G s value is often predicted by way of ignition loss (N) correlations instead. This paper presents original G s–N data for 25 peaty soils (N = 23–86%) from the Dian-Chi Lake area, Kunming City, China, along with a data set assembled from various sources in the literature for 77 peaty clays and peats. The main research aim is to investigate correlations between G s, natural water content (w n) and N for the standard ignition temperature of 440°C, thereby allowing indirect G s estimations. For the 102 peaty soils examined, the best-fit G s–N correlation was obtained for specific gravities of the inorganic and organic solids fraction values of 2.77 and 1.35, respectively. A weaker inverse bilinear relationship was found between G s and w n. To overcome procedural differences between codes and for previous experimental work, it is recommended that an oven temperature of 105°C be consistently used for drying peaty soil specimens.
Highlights
Surficial peat deposits cover large areas of the world’s land mass, and peaty soil layers can occur at depth
The gravity of solids (Gs)–N correlation for Gsm = 2.77 and Gso = 1.35 values deduced in the present study produces a good fit to the data points for the 102 peaty soils, providing further validation of the Gs–N correlation/ relationship originally proposed by Skempton and Petley (1970) based on data for only 28 peaty soils (H3 to H9)
This study used original Gs–N data obtained for 25 peaty soils (N = 23–86%) retrieved from the Dian-Chi Lake area, Kunming City, China, along with a larger data set comprising 77 peaty clays and peats compiled from various sources in the literature to investigate the Gs–N relationship for estimations of the specific gravity of solids
Summary
Surficial peat deposits cover large areas of the world’s land mass, and peaty soil layers can occur at depth. Compared with most inorganic soils, these materials generally have an extremely high water content, a high organic content, a low specific gravity of solids and low bulk and dry density values. As an important physical property, the specific gravity of solids (Gs) is defined as the ratio of the mass of dry solid particles to the mass of de-aired distilled water they displace, and its value is usually referenced to a standard temperature of 20°C (ASTM, 2014a; BSI, 1990a). Accurate knowledge of the Gs value allows the determination of the void ratio (among other basic parameters) for given soil densities and water contents. The definitive geotechnical laboratory approach for specific gravity determinations is the pycnometer method, which is performed on the soil fraction with particles sizes
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