Engineering geology characterization of lacustrine overconsolidated clays in an alpine area of Italy

Abstract

This study reports the main geotechnical characteristics of the Steggio Clay unit, a lacustrine sequence located in a valley of the Veneto Piedmont area (northern Italy). Analyzing the variations of overconsolidation pressure with depth, and the compressibility characteristics of natural, swelled, and reconstituted samples, one can hypothesize about the existence and influence of swelling processes on the stress history of the deposit. The yield pressures, determined by oedometric tests for the various lithostratigraphic units, are compared with the preconsolidation pressures deduced from the geological analysis, and a reduction in apparent preconsolidation pressures is evident in the upper layers. Comparing the natural water content of each stratigraphic unit with that of the overconsolidated and normally consolidated states, it can be seen that the same layers are softened. These phenomena could have been caused by swelling induced by erosion of the overlying deposits, sliding of glacial masses, and unloading due to deglaciation. The results of undrained consolidated triaxial compression tests indicate that the variations between the parameters of mechanical resistance of some lithological units can be attributed to the different values of the void index, Ivo, corresponding to the lithostatic in situ stress.Key words: overconsolidated clays, stress history, swelling, intrinsic characteristics, post-depositional processes, glaciation.