TRIAXIAL A-VALUE VERSUS SWELL OR COLLAPSE FOR COMPACTED SOIL. TECHNICAL NOTE

The authors of this technical note compare the triaxial A-value with the percentage of swell or collapse measured in the oedometer apparatus for three different compacted soils. High A-value soils from the triaxial test were those that collapsed in the oedometer apparatus. A high A-value is indicative of contractive behavior. Those soils that swelled conversely had a low to negative A-value from the triaxial test, indicating dilative behavior. A relationship between triaxial A-values and the swell or collapse from oedometer tests may be useful in determining soil-behavior discrepancies and laboratory testing errors. The soil behavior is independent of the dry density of the compacted soil and the confining pressure.