Role of composition and fabric of Kuttanad clay: a geotechnical perspective

Suganya, K and Sivapullaiah, P V (2017) Role of composition and fabric of Kuttanad clay: a geotechnical perspective. In: BULLETIN OF ENGINEERING GEOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, 76 (1). pp. 371-381.

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Abstract

Kuttanad clay from Kerala, India is a soft soil with associated problems of low shear strength and compressibility. An attempt is made to characterize the soil in terms of its mineralogy, fabric, organic matter, and pH in order to understand its geotechnical behavior and suggest a suitable ground improvement technique. It was found that the soil has a unique combination of minerals such as metahalloysite, kaolinite, iron oxides, and aluminum oxides. The diatom frustules present in the soil indicate biological activity during the sediment formation, and this also accounts for the nature of organic matter predominantly present in the soil, which is mostly derived from planktonic organisms. A considerable amount of organic matter is present in the soil, and the magnitude measured accounts to about 14 % by mass. The soil is found to be acidic and the low pH to some extent can be connected to the partial oxidation of pyrite. The aggregated-flocculated fabric, as deduced from the scanning electron microscopy images, is supported by comparison of liquid limit with plasticity index and the shrinkage limit. Low specific gravity, high liquid limit, and relatively low plasticity index are explained due to presence of organic matter, silica frustules, and fabric. The influence of soil fabric and composition on the index properties of the soil is likely to bear a direct link to the corresponding influence on the engineering behaviour of the soil.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	BULLETIN OF ENGINEERING GEOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Publisher:	SPRINGER HEIDELBERG, TIERGARTENSTRASSE 17, D-69121 HEIDELBERG, GERMANY
Additional Information:	Copy right for this article belongs to the SPRINGER HEIDELBERG, TIERGARTENSTRASSE 17, D-69121 HEIDELBERG, GERMANY
Department/Centre:	Division of Mechanical Sciences > Civil Engineering
Date Deposited:	03 Apr 2017 04:35
Last Modified:	03 Apr 2017 04:35
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/56431

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