Microstructure of a compacted silt

This paper presents a qualitative and quantitative study of the microstructure of a compacted silt, carried out using a scanning electron microscope and mercury intrusion pore size distribution measurements. Samples have been statically compacted at three water contents: on the dry side of the standard Proctor optimum water content, at the optimum, and on the wet side. The wet sample has a matrix type structure, with a clayey fraction filling the voids and adhering to the silt-sized grains, whereas the other samples display a structure characterized by a skeleton made of silt grain aggregates linked together by clayey bidges. The distribution of water and air within the microstructure of the compacted soil is described for each of the three compaction states. Key words: compacted soil, microstructure, scanning electron microscope, pore size distribution, mercury intrusion, clay hydration.