Desiccation Induced Cracking Characteristics of Locally Available Soils in Warangal

Abstract

In this study, locally available soils in Warangal (Telangana) are chosen to assess the feasibility of using as clay liner. The focus of the work is to carry out a laboratory study on locally available prominent clayey soils for the effect of desiccation induced cracks and hydraulic conductivity on the compacted clay soils under the influence of varying pH as well as organic and inorganic chemicals. Three types of locally available soils were selected (red earth, black cotton soil and the soil that is available near Rampur dumping yard location in Warangal) and the tests were conducted by compacting these soils at optimum moisture content with varying pH, organic (Humic Acid, EDTA, Dichloromethane) and inorganic (NaOH, HCl) chemicals. These compacted soil samples were tested for the desiccation cracks and hydraulic conductivity with the same solutions which were used in the preparation of soil sample. Variation of pH and organic–inorganic chemicals has shown a significant effect on crack intensity factor (CIF) and hydraulic conductivity. From the test results, it is observed that in acidic condition, CIF values of soil are decreasing with a decrease in pH while in basic condition, CIF values are increasing with the increase in pH. With the decrease of pH, the hydraulic conductivity of soil is increasing for an uncracked sample and decreasing for cracked sample in acidic condition. While in basic condition both cracked and uncracked permeability is increasing with the increase in pH. In all the cases of tests done with different pH and organic–inorganic chemicals, red earth soil showed minimum values of CIF, hydraulic conductivities and also permeability ratios hence red earth soil should be chosen as a liner material among selected locally available soils.