Mechanical properties of cohesive soils in dependence on the water quantity and mineralogical composition

Abstract

This article explains the relationships between the water content, mineralogical properties and mechanical properties of saturated clays. The findings are based on theoretical analysis and were confirmed experimentally on monomineral clay samples. It was found that the quantity of intergrain water, which determines the undrained shear strength and compressibility of clays, consists of free pore water, and the firmly adsorbed water on the external surfaces of the clay grains. The free water quantity is the same for different saturated clays, at the same undrained shear strength, and same effective stress after consolidation and, likewise, the thickness of the water film around the clay grains. The total quantity of firmly adsorbed water depends on the specific surfaces of the clays. The result of this work is a new analytical formulation that gives the relationship between the water content and the mechanical properties of clays, taking into account their mineralogical characteristics.