EFFECT OF STRUCTURE ON THE VOLUMETRIC BEHAVIOUR OF A COMPACTED SOIL

An investigation has been carried out to isolate the effects of the structure set up during compaction on the subsequent volumetric behaviour of a silty soil. Specimens compacted dry and wet of optimum heave have been brought to a common suction and dry density condition prior to testing in a suction-controlled oedometer apparatus. The test results demonstrate that the initial compaction structure has a significant influence on the collapse potential of the soil. The effects are, however, quite different from those that would normally be deduced from conventional tests in which the influence of structure and initial suction differences can not be easily distinguished. (A) For the covering abstract see IRRD 881647.