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Index Property to Characterize the Proportion of Primary Minerals Transforming to Clay Residues During Expansive Soil Formation

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Abstract

Disintegration and decomposition of sedimentary materials and igneous/metamorphic rocks in arid and semi-arid plateaus form expansive soils. The parent materials of expansive soils are 5.3 million years (basic igneous rocks) to > 570 million years (basement complex rocks) old. Developing an index property to estimate the fraction of primary minerals that decompose to clay is important as expansive clays drive their moisture-related volume changes. Data of 119 expansive soils from Nigeria, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Sudan, India, Australia, Oman, Chad Basin, Morocco, Kenya, and Zambia are analyzed to develop an index property termed decomposition ratio (Dr) to quantify the fraction of primary minerals that decompose into expansive clay. The sand+silt fractions represent the undecomposed primary mineral content, while the clay fraction represents the fraction of primary minerals that decomposed completely. Expansive soils from India, Sudan and Tanzania are characterized by median Dr values of 0.52–0.74; expansive soils from Ethiopia, Nigeria, Australia, Ghana, Chad Basin, Morocco, Zambia, and Kenya are characterized by median Dr values of 1.02–1.43. Dr values < unity imply that < 50% of primary minerals have decomposed into clay. Analysis of Dr data indicated that clay formation tends towards equilibrium when weathering of parent material depletes their primary mineral contents to 35%. Normalizing liquid limit with Dr regulates variations in liquid limit of expansive soils with similar clay content but formed under different conditions.

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Data Availability

The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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  1. Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, 560012, India

    Sudhakar M. Rao

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  1. Sudhakar M. Rao
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The author has contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by SM Rao. The author has read and approved the final manuscript.

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Rao, S.M. Index Property to Characterize the Proportion of Primary Minerals Transforming to Clay Residues During Expansive Soil Formation. Geotech Geol Eng 41, 405–412 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-022-02265-9

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