Published in Scientific Papers. Series "Journal of Young Scientist", Vol. 3
Written by Stefan Silvian CIOBANU
Collapsibility of the loess is strongly governed by water content and the magnitude of applied stress. Under an increasing load, the critical pressure at which collapse started to occur was greater for the loess with lower water content. At natural water content the critical pressure was greater than the overburden pressure. The greatest problem with collapsible soils arises when the existence and extent of the collapse potential are not recognized prior to construction. Settlements associated with development on untreated collapsible soils usually lead to expensive repairs. A comparative study between natural undisturbed and compacted samples of collapsible soils was performed. An attempt was made to relate the collapse potential to the initial moisture content.
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