Expansive soils in Brazil Gonflement des sols au Brésil MILTON VARGAS, University of So Paulo/Themag Eng. Ltd., Sao Paulo HELOISA HELENA S, GONCALVES, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo NEWTON BITTENCOURT SANTOS, Themag Eng. Ltd., So Paulo FERNANDO A. M. MARINHO, Themag Eng. Ltd., Sao Paulo SUmMUARY: She paper summarizes tavestigations carried cut In Brazil on expensive soils comparing therr Sea ioe Aer plished International iiteracure on the gubject, and presents a method of identi- Fication of potentially active soils by weans of an ectivit % Zioation of pos at the’ Solis Laboratory Of the "Escola Politéensca", Untversity of S30 Paulo, and fersselgatione carried on by Temag Rng. for engineering gurposes, the paper proposes thr AaEsgetaeGe ts beTadepted to develap a theory to explain the mechanical behaviour Of expansive soils 1 mwtRopuctroN ‘The first study carried out in Brazit on expansi Ye clays was in 1956, on an expansive soily Yocaily called "massapa" which occurs in the furrousdinga of the clty of Salvador, Bahia i, (Sobral, 1986)- Since then a great ninber of eos popers vero published on the properties of Sra~ % EGifdn Oxpansive soils. Te is worth to mention J ceries of investigations still being carried ‘Gny at the Soll Laboratory of the Polytheenical School, University of so Paulo, on the svelling properties of soils ocevering avound of city of wmrvagivere Ganpinas, State of S80 Paulo, ina highly indus mest Oe Pants Baie om Hella reCt00- Ay pupae in to summarize the Gone MEE 2S. aiid De Ree fet ole tera nriai § = BAP thy ea aly boat es a See, Sac” a atnnieatne br einen oe : songriting jobs an publications by rarttizn,, _FRURE ~PROBARLE_OcCURENCE OF ECHNVE feerstre related to che subject. A, Mong the Northestern coast, in sedinentary cretaceoug or Tertiary Formations. Expansive 12 GROLOGKCAL AND PEDOLOGICAL NATUNE CP AEMILIAN oils in this area are formed by Zesidual soils EXPANSIVE SOTLS, from shalles, siltstones and gandetone, in SGnstant hunid hot climate, with annual raingalt ‘the great majority of references in the Brazilian yp t5_2000am and more than Ome of precipitation Shodchaical Litefsture on expansive solle refers in the dryest month. The sites around the city rresidual oF colluvial soils derived from Of Sgivador, Bahia (ehe “massapa" soil from the fe Festdue’ Sooke by weathering. The expansive- *Reegneave") and around the city of Recife, Per- ROEIMSE ikon soite‘is due to tie presence, of panbuco (soils from "Maria Farinha Formation’ Rontror{lionite clay mineral groupe in their have been gtudiod at moss. traction, Tt 13 likely that such minerals Be tthe horehestern constant hot and ary had alendy ovieted in tho mateix rock. Te is clinate zones where annual rainfall drops. £0 had leony exited tne gedegenctic process of 00mm and less than S0mm in the dryest month 1g Likely thats aro ls Svecadoncy of the mont- ‘The expansive soils in this area are derived frm sett eeeeee Cotplee exiatals to breck into simpler sedimentary Jurassic and Cretaceous Formations morltlonstt wort minerals, this my be related to Awell studied place is located at the site of Kaolinite ne tne surface layer of eropical soils the reservoir foried by Ttaparica Dam, on the 2 lnteritie non expansive horizon Si Proneisco River per gaprolitie horizons may present , in the Southern states of So Paulo and Pa~ Gupansiveness. On the oth rand, Ina sub-tropical zone of constrasting hot the cause of & great vart Gnd humid euners ena cold and dry winters, with srseeee Seite of much solis, even in Hestricted an annual rainfall around 200m. Such expansive areas. Siiis ace reesdual or collavium derived. from Saystone and siltstone. of the carboniferous ‘fuberse Formation’. vost atadiel 1s an indcserd jg) North of the city of Campinas Re shown in Figure 1 occurrences of expansive solls nave boon detactsd, related to engineering orks, in’ four tain avena of the Hraztlian tarritary: alized nore 3 7b. In the Southers tae of Ric Grande do ui, indatboniferous or crataceous sediments, and in ercant husid climate, with annual arene Of Seeund’ 2000 nm and more than 50h in the gainfaty ath A quste welt know area Of such Bye eer ebite, Teron sanéetones, ang siltstones, SEPIRSENS Spogatio do Sul Formneion", in a ie im eMetined zone on the North of the city of Beto Alegre: 4 IDEWEEFICATION OF POTENCIAILY EXPANSIVE SOILS one of the first investigation to identify solis one OE SOG fousibly ewell under certain climatic ieag lone, was undertaken by the Bureau of Re~ ‘Slanation, ‘which wes. trying £0 correlate volune hares uth colloidal content (3 of 8 <0,001an), chengs fey index and cheinkade Limite (Holtz and Elpbs, 1986); Later on (Seed, woodward and Ennagteen, 1962) published a’ paper criticizing renege Re wcthod and proposing © formula based Sache percentage of elay sizes, and on che Sdeiviey index of the soll to predict the ovelling Sotential of compacted samples. (defined as yor Pokeage of incresee of height after soaking under {esi surcharge, of a laterally confined sample, Bebacted tothe maximum dry densvey and opeimmn Nater content, in Uw Seandard AISHO compaction test). ‘the prediction of heave basod on the plasticity index and percentage of clay fraction of the Solis was published in south Africa by Van der Merwe (1361). The Double Oedoncter Test Mathos te predict total heave uss aiso originated in South Africa (Jenpings and Knight, 1957) ‘Since thea, it Became clear chat the smiling potential of/a soil can be evaluated by the Eetivity of the clay fraction t.o,, the nature SE the ley contents in face, a high activity Ghdow 4s, an indication of the presence of clay Binerals with complex cristals structure, on the Sther hand, the simple prosence of complex struc~ Gore clay ninorals Ls not a sufficient. indicator Stan expensive soil. ‘Te is algo necessary to have enough percentage of clay. The senior author have proposed, st the * International Conference on Tropical Solis" pe of 2 combination of Casagrande plasticity and Skenpton’s activity charts, as shown in Fi~ Gure 2, bo classigy and identify tropical soils Wwergas, 1985). Figure 2 shows plots of the Bragilian expansive soils on such plastscity— sctivlty”charte, The massape goil Ramples fron the Roconcavo formesone, at Salvador, BA. Ottos Sista and Coot Filho, i98l) ; are plotted alony or above A-Line on the left sida of C-line and Shove ta ~ 0,5 Line (where 1, = activity). The ses te occur ig22) owe ut FIGURE 2-PLASTICATY-ACTIVITY CHART SHOWNG PLOTS OF BRAZILIAN EXPANSIVE SOILS ‘sane happens to the residual expansive soit Samples’ fron the Tubarao formation, on the orth Ge the city of Campinas, SP (fleury, 1984) , with fhe ‘exception of o sample which is” plotted on the Fight sido of C-line but above Ta = 1,25 lin, ‘The expansive soil samples from the weathering of “iinentary rocks from "Rosario do Sul formation” Rear the city of Porte Alegre, RS (Silva Filho, 1976) “are pldetea’ above Arline and along E, = 1,25 Line. ‘Tha expansive soil samples (wba CBmpackad or dzyed cut) from sedimentary rocks Se'tharia Farinha Formation’, naar the city of Sect fo, PE (Gosta nes et al, 1682), are plotad above Beiine! on the Lett aide of Coline and above Ty i"oi78 Line, in the sexe chart, it 48 also Plotted expansive soil annples from the site of Feaparics Reservoir which is discussed herein: tw) are plotted long A-Line and above Ty = 0,50 Te can be seen that the uso of plasticity— activity charts to ideneify potenclally expansive Solis aées agree with Van dor Merwe diagram if the areas of pocantialexpansivencse 1s extendend horizoneatly fou T, lines to the lefe, Within tcoreain extent it°also agrees with Seed, Wooranard and lundgreen criteria, However, it Should be kept in mind that identification of Sepaneive colle by seans of classification {Mlexes, can only predict possibility of the Solis to be expansive, if itis in a state such hat expansion characteristics are likely to Appear, aS for instance, a certain soll, in its Autural conditions, can show inert or even Collapsible behaviour, bue it can turn out to be Expansive Lf compressed, compacted or dried out. iaghort, expansivensss depends not only on the Plasticity and mineral natore of clay fraction Bethe soll but also on its ary density. ‘A cause of misleading information, if identi- eieation of porencially expansive soils is done on the basis of plasticity-activity charts, is Che presence of icon oxide geains or mica flakes In'eheie silty fractions. 1von oxide grains toad to. lower the plasticity index and mice Flakes tend to increase its activity. ‘three expansion teat methods are used in Brazil, Zor geomechanical purposes. ‘The tirst one consiats [Ragpiying a pressure po on a leterally omfined Soople inva ring 7 cm disneter and aon high. After Sie? sample consolidates under go, it is left to Sepand By soaking. Tes. speci fe increase of height ('Payny is measured within intervals of tin until stabilization is reachod. ‘the maximum specific heave ( oh/s) -100 is its svelling potential Ee, Undoe 4 soaking pressure po. After an apparent Stabiiizacion of heave, the sonple is coneoll sted under the increase of the applied pressure Gneil-the, initial height ia, reached. the faim Pleasure thus obtained is. che wwelliiy pressure Pe. ‘The second method consists Of plotting (a h/h) max obtained as described above, for a range of freseures po, in. seniviog graph. The evelling Pressure. 26, chained ty mars of extrapolation ‘The third’sethod cona/sts of applying succes cively sntll inevenents of pressures to th above Goserived sample when soaked, trying €0 avoid {ea heave, until a pressure fo attained, which Starte to compress che sample7 and tho Continoe to apply pressures as in an ordinary consolida- tlon’Eest® According to” (Rao, Rahacajo and Frediund, 1968) the swelling pressure py 15obtained, by a graphical procedure, on the con~ Geligation curve, sinilar to the determination Sf the pre-consolidation pressure in an cedometer fest. Pigure 2 shows graphs obtained in expansion teste on an undisturbed sample of 8 rosidual Soll fron a sedimentary Jurassic Formation, on ie teft side of the reservoir formed by Tcapaq Hea Den, on the S39 Feancleco River, state of Pernanbuge, Brazil. she expansion curves obtaii ea according to the First mentioned method are plotted on the left side, Ae che center, a Bizaignt tine 12 ploteed which Is extrapolated tovebeain pe aceording to the second mentioned nethod. Moceovet, on the right sida, the ‘compression Carvee are platted to determine po according to fhe first method, Notice that according to this ethod, each applied pressure py corresponds to Siftorene values of avelling prassure. pyr but {ts nean value (380 KPa) corresponds to” the Swelling pressure obtained by” extrapolation Recording’ to the wecond method (350 XPa)« ae aes ct TMEtmini SOMME PRESSURE. aPPLED PREBRE ess ? faa FIGURE 3 ~ EXPANSION TESTS ON UNDISTURBED, SAMPLE Chonince reno sn testraeed mie Figure 4 shous results of svelling tests on a ronolded sample of the same, material as the one in Pigure 3 but now compacted at the ano nois— ture content and dey density of the undisturbed Sample, In these last tests the average swelling proseure obtained by the first method (450 KPa) [Srdittecent from the excrapolaved swelling pressure obtained according to the second method {(Seonpa). Tt ia difficult to say ae what extent this difference te due to pere chance. However, LO. “Guite clear that the svelling pressure for the unlisturbed sample is leas than the one for the compacted at the sana dry density. ‘herefore, FIOURE 4 EXPANSION TESTS ON COMPACTES | SAMPLE (VTAPARICR. RESERVOR, PE) TesI7.SK0Vin® nee Me (nn She strobe of sols is also, a factor that affect ave! ling preseuces Desidse the ary coity. Eiguce 3. prevents a consolidation curve obtala ea by the third nothod, the determination of the Stelling pressure based on Rao, Ranarejo and Frodlund gives pe = 450 Sa for the compacted Zenpley which agrees with the average. waive (E55 Rha) obtainea by tho first method. (ae0) ences UNF? [FIGURE 5- COMPRESSION CURVE OF cOMPACTED SRAM ann ma ania se 5 PROPOSED MECHANISM FOR SWELLING OF SOILS ‘tho Brazilian investigation on the swelling of Solis have show the possibility to develop = theory to explain mechanical behaviour of Such Soils, based. on the following: Tgyelling of soils may occur in two phas a pitaay one, due to the reduction of sucti Se'water’ into’ the aoil pores, similar to expan Sfon of soils when loading is reduced in a con- Joilaation process: and a eventual secondary Phase, when heave continues indefinitely, in Srgpofeion to the logarithm of tine. PSyel ling potential (neasured by the sncranse of hight int Of tho Clokness of a laterally Gontined sample) of a certain soil at a certain Sty density, depends onthe effective pressure fe applied to the surface of the soli before Bgelling, ‘The swelling pocential decreases with the log of po- . Svolling pressure (defined as the applied effactive pe pressure required £0 keep the Solune Of the’ soil conseane, when it is soaked) Jnereases with ene dry density of the somple. ‘the conjecture of a two phase expansion 13 supported by a number Of long” tem free expansion Sobte, as foe Anstance, the one shown in Figure Goa. on an undisturbed sample of the "aassaps" Soll from Salvador, BA. After about 100 hours, “Spansion the sampis starta’ to heave in proportion tothe log of time. igure 6-b shows specific heave dh/h, obsexved in a'ocdlonster eeat when the. applied piessares were Felieved to 0,025 kg/enty and the sample Gapandes frealy. a’ straight Line was obtained Wihun these specific heaves vere plotted against Vold-ratio of the sample at tho begining of the Expansions in comparison with that straight, Line, {Eves plotted, in the same draph, the swelling potenciale obtained in expansion tests which fore sun on samples of the same soll in the following seaeas: 791. undisturbed (degree of saturagion 958) 2! consolidated under 10,8 kg/on? and thon aircazyed (degree Of saturation 723) J. consolidated ander 10,8 ka/en? (degree of saturation 1008) So game sampie already expanded 51 Sampie submitted to the above mentioned free expansion test (Figure 6a) ‘Rit’ the points plotted along the oedoneter Ld ta TE uns expansion CURVE at & 3 Dy SWELUNG POTENTIALS AND CEOOMETER WEAVE tanst voo-RAnD” m0 SEGRE OF SATURATIN FIGURE 6-MASSAPE EXPANSIVE Sol (SHLWADOR,BA-BRAZIL) ‘this result shows that the first phase expan~ sion of soils ean occur simlary either when an applied effective pressure is relieved off = ieunated clay of when a dyed cut soll is Soaked. in both cazes the swelling observed, at the first phase of expaneions, and expansion in Sedoneter Gre similar phenouena- Finally, when O*Sompletely soaked soll sample has alredy Gxpanied it looses its expansibility: but sebingtea ott ample can expand shen Loading ‘the second and the third conjecture supported by previous Brazilian tests results, fiowever the authors experience do not permit to conclude = aa in (chen, 1973) ~ that swelling pressure ie completly indépondent of the spplted ure Po. 2m fact, Figure 7 shovs swelling Bressures Gi expansive soils from Zeaparica Reservoir as a function of their dry density eagurea before soaking the samples. Tt shows Thats at least probabilisticaly, there be a. Sorsétation between avelling préesures Pe and Sey denstey but there are discrepancies. from the Gvecage that may be due eo structural differences Rear ne ae ea of difterent compaction Gong! tions tn remoided samples, or even an Geeluence of the applied pressures py during Gkpanaion of the samples. he applied pressure (KPa) during soaking of the sample fs Indicated close to each point on the plot. the dashed line results froma linear FIGURE T-\TAPARICA RESERVOR EXPANSIVE SOLS regression on the data which samples vere soaked Under the pressure of 10 KPa. Notice that the correlation coefficient of ens last regression is 0,98 while the comelation Edefeletent cbeained for ail samples, soaked Gnder difgecent applied pressures was 0,90. This Right be a sign that the applied pressures asring Sosking influences the value of the swelling pressuve, in spite Of tho dry density be the 6 EXPANSIVENESS AS A STATE OF THE SoTL A potentially swelling soil can syell or even Borfapse whon soaked, depending on its dry density Ghd its structure, Mat is: a certain soll is not Gupansive cr collapaible only by it own nature. Roth be found in nature a9 expansible oF col” Lupsibte according to Lts field conditions. Zn Habe it can be conchided that, below 2 minimum ry Genstty, swelling pressures are null, as shown in Figure 7. ‘this fact have been already observed by (Kroutov, Sorochan and Tokar, 1971) wnen they considered to types of deformations of structurally unstable SMeyeyPsotis, occurring in the same coll profile Gnade’ he collspeing and owelling processes, Recording to the overburden pressures. In soLls tontiaily expansible (structurally unstable) increase of dey density causes the increase of Sucliingness and decresae Of collapsibilityness. ‘One exanpio of ouch situation vas described by (senaras 1981) in eelation to residual or colluvial Solis fon veathering of sedimentary rock of the Tibardo Formation, in the stato of S&o Paulo, Brazil. the sedimentary bedrock 1s a sandstone or silistone containing active clay as a binder. he saprolite layer of such rock is a potentially expansive sand clay. The surface residual oF Gobluviui soil ia a rediah or yollovish "porous" Gaon saturated and macro-voided soil) Lateritic SSfey"sand, but frequently with a small percen-tage of smectite, oue £0 Lts “porous” state this Surtace layer nay be potontially collapsible; but When conpayeed below optimum Proctor moisture Contents it turns out €0 be expansible. FIGURE @-EXPRNSVE RESOUAL SOLS FROM TUBARO FORMATION (C88 Povlo eee can Figure @ shows plots of samples of the Tubario Pormition surface soils on a activity-plasticity Charty but two Of then which does not contain, Seoctite in tts lay fraction, plots on or below S'os95 lane in the activity chart. ALL the siuple’are non-expansive in its natural state. But the potentially collapeible gamples turns out fo be expanaible Wen compacted with moisture Sontent below the optimum, as shown in graphs, Sheained in oxpancion tests on sample A, in Figure 9. Notice that when moteture content of The conpactod material ts higher thet the optima the sample compress instead to swell. The sane fest done on sample C, which ic not potentially expansinie (see Figure 8), have not show any Sapeneibility, sot even hen sample was compacted below the optimm moisture content. ropicnt humid or gontragziny senuoy chinates Ties 0:75) or more than 250 of" less active city (ig 70,5) (Seel ing ‘potential of Brazilian expansive soils is inversely proportional to the log of Spplied pressure during expansion. The swelling Pibssure’ is stacinticaily Felated vo ary density, Bith'a high coeéfictent or correlation; although Te nay also epend, to sone extent, on the applied presstre and the structure of the soil. ‘Sone gf those sotis are found in nature as @ sporsue’ ascrowvolded and nonesaturated soit; but they’ turns ous to be expensibie when compacted iEiBe Spcimun Proctor moisture. content The suthors would Like to express ose deop appreciation to the EPUSP sol} Laboratory and pele THEMAG Sng, statea for their invaluable Guring she Lnve: REFERENCES. Sobral, 1.8. (1986). Coneribuigio ao estado do messin fino S015 para conatniga, Teak do conearso para a co Site de wteriais Ge Conctrogco. facola de Belas Artes thriversidads Federal da Baniay Salvasor. moles WG-4 Gibhs, HJ. (1996). Engineering prcper ‘les of expansive clays, ASOE Transactions Paper 2614 Vol: 1a. Seed, 8. Woodward, Rs. 4 tundgreen, R. (1962). ‘Prediction of spelling potanctal for empacted clays. Sourn. Soll tech. & Fours. Div. AE vel. 68 - 20. van dei Nozwe, B.M. (196i). The prediction of heave “fran the plasticity lex and perwentage clay fraction baolls. trans. S, Afe-inst. of Civ Bars, Vol.6 nf 6. Jennings, J-B.8. & Knight, Ke (951). The prediction of otal heave fr the daSho Gatoneter nest rans. 8 Rice test, civ, Bogs. vol. 01 vargas, M. (1905). the consspt of tropical sol18. lat. Tae, Conf. Gecnach. drop. Lat. and Seprol. Soils. Bre sili, DE. matos § mées, P.R. % Costa Filho, DM. (298). “Chracturfetices Minaraliieas, Gufnicas © Geotéenicas de Soloe tspansives do fecSneavo alano, Sixp.firas.Solcs Troplosis em lnpenarias CD00, Ro db Janeiro, RI. Pleuty, Cols (1980), Eotado das propriedades geotscntoas ‘dos solos eigansivee do Estado de Sao Paulo. Dept? BStmy Punagoes EPUS. So Paulo, BP. costa tunosy hed; Vasconcelos fi, & PandolfL, Rb. “1se2). Coorrércian e peopriedades de enjenbaria de 90 Joe empansivos na fea Go grande Recife. VITC.B.S.E.P. comportanento expansive de l= Game fonecies sedinentaras do io Grande do Sule. Janei~ ro, 8 a