Compression, shrinkage and wetting-induced volume change of unsaturated soils

• Main Author: Wijaya, Martin
• Other Authors: Leong Eng Choon
• Format: Theses and Dissertations
• Language: English
• Published: 2017
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Environmental engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/69481
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

In this thesis, the volume change of unsaturated soils due to the change in net normal stress under constant water content condition and due to the change in water content under constant net normal stress condition along with the change in soil water characteristic curve due to the change in density were investigated. A universal equation to describe soil water characteristic and shrinkage curves that can take into account the effect of density is proposed. Modified oedometer and constant rate of strain apparatuses equipped with high capacity tensiometer were used to study the volume and pore water pressure change of unsaturated soils under constant water content condition. Some of the specimens were inundated under different inundation pressures in order to observe the wetting induced volume change. A new model is proposed to estimate the volume change of unsaturated soil due to constant water content loading and due to change in water content under constant load.