Prediction of Swelling Potential and Pressure in Compacted Clay

Abstract

In this study to predict free swelling potential and pressure in compacted clay, simple relationships are proposed. Three different clay samples were prepared with initially at constant dry unit weight and varying water contents and at constant water content and varying dry unit weights by standard compaction. In the experiment part, the free swelling technique was used. Values of free swelling potential and pressure were measured using the oedometer analysis. Analyses were repeated at least two times. To predict free swelling potential and pressure, the multiple regression analyses were performed for the different values of dry unit weight, initial water content and plasticity index of three samples. The proposed relationships and the equations in the literature were compared with the test results of these samples in optimum water content and maximum dry unit weight and of another compacted sample for the known values of the dry unit weight, initial water content, and plasticity index. The comparison was also done with a relation given in the literature. The results found that the estimated values of swelling potential and pressure obtained from the proposed relationships were in consistent with the measured ones.