Simplified reliable prediction method for determining the volume change of expansive soils based on simply physical tests

Abstract

Expansive soils widely exist at different locations in nearly all new construction sites in Egypt. This type of soil exhibits significant change in volume when subjected to water, leading to distortions in the structures and therefore huge monetary losses due to repair and in some cases to full removal of the structures.An oedometer test is the widely used and most accurate apparatus that measures the volume change of the natural expansive soils. This traditional test needs high effort, high cost, and long time consuming to carry out causing true difficulties to execute a large number of swelling tests within the same time as essential requirements of the large projects. Thus, several researchers worldwide have made significant contributions through past long years to better obtain prediction of volume change behavior in natural expansive soils. Reliable and satisfied prediction occurs when its result is being so close to the results obtained by the oedometer apparatus.The current study introduces a novel approach of considerable positive reliable prediction for volume change behavior in expansive soils by using only the results of some simply executed standard physical tests.The approach philosophy is to significantly facilitate the efforts exerted by geotechnical engineers to determine reliable results of the mechanical properties for an enormous amount of expansive soil samples that suits the project needs which are hard to obtain by the ordinary experimental work by the oedometer apparatus only.