Geotechnical engineering practice for collapsible soils

• Published in: Geotechnical and geological engineering Vol. 19; no. 3-4; pp. 333 - 355
• Main Authors: Houston, Sandra L, Houston, William N, Zapata, Claudia E, Lawrence, Chris
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Nature B.V 2001
• Subjects: Alluvial deposits; Arid climates; Arid regions; Arid zones; Collapsible soils; Debris flow; Geotechnical engineering; Groundwater; Loess; Mitigation; Moisture content; Population growth; Semiarid climates; Soil; Soil conditions; Soil engineering; Soil moisture; Urbanization; Water content; Wetting
• ISSN: 0960-3182; 1573-1529
• DOI: 10.1023/A:1013178226615

Conditions in arid and semi-arid climates favor the formation of the most problematic collapsible soils. The mechanisms that account for almost all naturally occurring collapsible soil deposits are debris flows, rapid alluvial depositions, and wind-blown deposits (loess). Collapsible soils are moisture sensitive in that increase in moisture content is the primary triggering mechanism for the volume reduction of these soils. One result of urbanization in arid regions is an increase in soil moisture content. Therefore, the impact of development-induced changes in surface and groundwater regimes on the engineering performance of moisture sensitive arid soils, including collapsible soils, becomes a critical issue for continued sustainable population expansion into arid regions.In practicing collapsible soils engineering, geotechnical engineers are faced with (1) identification and characterization of collapsible soil sites, (2) estimation of the extent and degree of wetting, (3) estimation of collapse strains and collapse settlements, and (4) selection of design/mitigation alternatives. Estimation of the extent and degree of wetting is the most difficult of these tasks, followed by selection of the best mitigation alternative.