Investigating Soil Strength and Stress-strain Indices to Characterize Erodibility

Abstract

Defining the factors that influence the erosion resistance of a soil and developing methods that aid in quantification is important to many aspects of engineering, conservation, and pollution control. In this study, initial soil strength indices and stress-strain characteristics were investigated as potential indicators for characterizing the erosion resistance of two compacted soils. Cone penetrometer, pocket penetrometer, and unconfined compressive strength and stress-strain measurements were obtained as a function of compaction water content percent and dry unit weight. Tests were conducted over a range from 8 to 22% water content and 1.0 to 1.9 Mg/m3 dry unit weight. Based on the results, initial soil strength alone was not a good indicator of erosion resistance. The measured stress-strain characteristics, however, appeared to have potential in providing useful information on erosion resistance.