2. Engineering Characteristics of Soils
Understanding the engineering characteristics of soils is crucial for transportation engineering, particularly for the design and performance of pavement structures that rely on the subgrade's behavior. This chapter covers essential soil properties such as classification, strength behavior, compaction, permeability, and swelling characteristics, which influence the effectiveness and durability of transportation infrastructure.
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What we have learnt
- Soil classification helps determine appropriate treatment and expected behavior under loading.
- Compaction improves soil strength and stability, essential for proper pavement design.
- Shear strength and compressibility directly affect the load support capacity and settlement behavior of pavements.
Key Concepts
- -- Unified Soil Classification System (USCS)
- A system that categorizes soils into coarse-grained, fine-grained, and organic groups based on grain size distribution and Atterberg limits.
- -- MohrCoulomb Failure Criterion
- A model that describes the shear strength of soils as a function of cohesion and internal friction angle.
- -- California Bearing Ratio (CBR)
- A test to evaluate the strength of subgrade soils by comparing the load-bearing capacity of soil with that of standard crushed stone.
- -- Compaction
- The process of densifying soil by expelling air, enhancing its load-bearing capacity.
- -- Atterberg Limits
- The moisture content at which soil transitions between different consistency states, important for assessing plasticity and volume change potential.
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