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Mineralogical Compositions of Some Indian Expansive Soils and Their Influence on Swelling Properties

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Abstract

Mineralogical characteristics of nine Indian expansive soils were examined using the X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. Interpretation of diffraction patterns confirmed the presence of major non-clay minerals (quartz and calcite) and clay minerals (kaolinite, illite, and montmorillonite/smectite) in these expansive soils. In addition, the values of montmorillonite content (MC) in these soils have been collected from the literature and correlated with swelling properties such as swelling potential (S) and swelling pressure (S p ). A critical examination of the X-ray diffraction patterns that have been established on different specimens clearly shows the natural variability in their mineralogical compositions, indicating that the swelling properties of an expansive soil get strongly affected by the type of clay mineral and its content. The relationship between swelling parameters (i.e., S, S p ) and MC was found to be linear in nature. Interestingly, the greater influence of MC is noticed on the swelling pressure than on the swelling potential.

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Acknowledgements

Authors are thankful to the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Government of India, for providing financial support in carrying out this work. The support is greatly appreciated by the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Infrastructure, IIT Bhubaneswar, Samantapuri, Bhubaneswar, 751013, India

    Janardhan Tahasildar & B. Hanumantha Rao

  2. School of Engineering, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia

    Sanjay Kumar Shukla

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  1. Janardhan Tahasildar
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  2. B. Hanumantha Rao
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Correspondence to B. Hanumantha Rao.

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Tahasildar, J., Rao, B.H. & Shukla, S.K. Mineralogical Compositions of Some Indian Expansive Soils and Their Influence on Swelling Properties. Int. J. of Geosynth. and Ground Eng. 3, 5 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40891-016-0081-3

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