Abstract
Soil collapse is a critical factor contributing to various pathologies in civil construction, necessitating the use of suction-controlled techniques, often unavailable in smaller cities in developing countries. This study investigated the collapsible behavior of clayey sand from Tuneiras do Oeste, Paraná, Brazil, using conventional one-dimensional tests with varied initial moisture contents and pre-soaking stresses. Tests maintained constant specimen moisture, soaked samples at pre-defined stress values (S tests), and observed collapse behavior under gradual wetting (GIM tests). Supplementary mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) analyses determined the collapse’s influence on pore size distribution. Collapse indexes were computed, and the Pereira and Fredlund (J Geotech Geoenviron Eng 126:907–916, 2000) model was applied to predict collapsible behavior for GIM tests data, showing strong agreement with experimental results (R2 > 0.98). Additionally, two prediction models developed from different test data also exhibited a high degree of correlation (R2 = 0.97 and 0.95 for S and GIM tests, respectively). It was observed that pre-soaking moisture, i.e., the pre-soaking matric suction, played a crucial role in wetting-induced soil collapse, while pre-soaking stress had a secondary effect. The infiltration rate during soaking impacted the observed collapse, with higher rates resulting in greater collapse magnitudes. Regarding soil structure, collapse led to significant alterations only in the macropores, causing a notable reduction in their diameters. Ultimately, the experimental protocol developed in this study yielded valid results for modeling collapsible soils, even in the absence of sophisticated suction-controlled equipment.
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Conceptualization: Renan Felipe Braga Zanin, Alana Dias de Oliveira, Amanda Maehara Kondo, and Raquel Souza Teixeira; methodology: Renan Felipe Braga Zanin, Amanda Maehara Kondo, and Avacir Casanova Andrello; formal analysis and investigation: Renan Felipe Braga Zanin, Amanda Maehara Kondo, Flávia Gonçalves Pissinati Pelaquim, Alana Dias de Oliveira, Sandro Lemos Machado, and Raquel Souza Teixeira; writing—original draft preparation: Renan Felipe Braga Zanin and Raquel Souza Teixeira; writing—review and editing: Renan Felipe Braga Zanin, Flávia Gonçalves Pissinati Pelaquim, Alana Dias de Oliveira, and Sandro Lemos Machado; supervision: Raquel Souza Teixeira. All the authors participated in the critical revision and approved the final version of the manuscript.
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Zanin, R.F.B., Kondo, A.M., Pelaquim, F.G.P. et al. The impact of gradual increase in moisture on the collapse of Brazilian clayey sand soil. Bull Eng Geol Environ 83, 36 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-023-03523-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-023-03523-7