ENGINEERING

GEOLOGY
ELSEVIER
Engineering Geology 39 (1995) 203-215

Strength and compressibility of Abqaiq marl, Saudi Arabia

Saad A. Aiban
Department of CivilEngineering, King Fahd Universityof Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
Received 11 August 1994; accepted 16 February 1995

Abstract

The increasing number of construction projects and the lack of good quality soil for use in these projects in eastern Saudi Arabia necessitate the use of available marginal softs. Most, if not all, engineering projects use the fine-grained calcareous sediments, known locally as marl, either as a foundation material or as a fill material. The lack of published information on their engineering characteristics and behavior under ambient conditions has resulted in many construction and post-construction problems. This investigation is one of a series to evaluate the geotechnical properties of selected marl soils obtained from different areas in eastern Saudi Arabia. Marl samples, obtained from Abqaiq, were prepared in the laboratory under controlled conditions and subjected to different tests including CBR (soaked and unsoaked), triaxial compression, unconfined compression and one-dimensional compression tests. Samples were prepared at different moisture contents on both the wet and dry sides of optimum. X-ray diffraction analysis indicates that this marl contains high percentages of dolomite and calcite, in addition to other materials. The molding water content significantly affects the engineering properties of this material. Compaction on the dry side of optimum resulted in samples that have some swelling potential and highly compressible characteristics when subjected to a load after inundation.

1. Introduction

1.1. General
In recent years the Arabian Gulf countries have gone through a rapid and extensive expansion of engineering development. In Saudi Arabia, the Eastern Province has witnessed similar development typified by the establishment of AI-Jubail Industrial City, the extensive expanding programs of the Saudi-ARAMCO facilities, construction of major highways, expressways and airports, and urbanization of almost every single locality in the province. The lack of good quality material has resulted in the extensive use of calcareous sediments, locally known as marl, in base-course construction of all service roads and highways in the region. The heterogeneous nature of the material
0013-7952/95/$09.50 1995 Elsevier ScienceB.V. All rights reserved S S D I 0013-7952(95)00010-0

and the lack of published information on the engineering properties and performance of marl under the harsh environmental and loading conditions, have led to speculation and wide discrepancies in the behaviour and usability of these soils. Formation of depressions and settlement in roads have been noticed in many places (AI-Abdul Wahhab and Ramadhan, 1990; Farwana and Majidzadeh, 1988), despite the fact that all necessary precautions were taken into account (Tomlinson, 1978). Extensive alligator cracks are frequently observed even in lightly trafficked and newly constructed roads especially when marl is used as a base material in areas where the water table is high. Fig. 1 shows typical deterioration of paved roads when marl is used as a base and subbase layers, even when the material is compacted to the desired level. The presence of such a

204

5".A. Aiban:En~meerht~ GeoloKv 39 i 1995) 203 2]5

Fig. l. Typical deterioration (3 months after construction) of pavements when marl is used as a base course. p r o b l e m indicates a substantial reduction in the b e a r i n g c a p a c i t y o f the s u p p o r t i n g layers. It is believed t h a t the type o f soil, the level o f lhe g r o u n d water table and its salinity, the construction techniques a n d the l o a d i n g c o n d i t i o n s all have their own inherent c o n t r i b u t i o n to the p r o b -

S.A. Aiban/Engineering Geology 39 (1995) 203-215

205

lem. The work presented in this paper is part of a comprehensive research project with the objective of providing some means of understanding the behaviour of such material and the factors affecting this behaviour. Results and data will be limited to the soil used and the testing procedures followed.
1.2. Marl soil

Geologic studies of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia indicate that the surface rocks are Tertiary in age covered by Quaternary deposits (Roger, 1985; Johnson, 1978). Sediments ranging from Paleocene-early Eocene to Miocene-Pliocene cover most of the area. Unconsolidated materials include gravel of Tertiary age and various sediments of Quaternary age, comprising beach gravel and sand, gravel and silt in basin deposits, sabkha sediments and various aeolian sand deposits. The marl layers in the area are present in the Rus Formation, Dammam Formation, Hadrukh Formation, Dam Formation and Hofuf Formation (Roger, 1985). The formation of marl soils is believed to be the result of physical and chemical weathering of parent carbonate rocks (e.g., limestones, dolomites, carbonate sandstone, etc.). This type of deposit is formed in many parts of the world. In most cases, marl exists as consolidated or, rather, cemented layers of carbonate deposits. Fookes and Higginbottom (1975) indicated that induration of carbonate sediments more often begins as cementation at the points of intergranular contact. This buildup of cementation, usually caused by small changes in temperature or the concentration of carbon dioxide, may take place almost concurrently with deposition and becomes an advantage when the material is used as a compacted fill. However, loss of porosity may follow cementation because of creep and recrystallization of particles, particularly under relatively high overburden pressures. The majority of these cemented layers overlie highly weathered carbonate rocks (Akili, 1980). Marl soils are widespread and commonly used in road construction as a foundation material. According to Horta (1988), Yaalon estimated the coverage of the calcareous and calcrete material to be about 13% of the total area of the emerged

land. They possess particular properties that are quite different from those of ordinary soils. The original characteristics of marl soils are often obscured by their burial with detrital sediments and the carbonate minerals in them tend to be soluble, chemically reactive and easily recrystallizable. The presence of gypsum, anhydrite, aragonite, calcite, expansive clay, sand, chert, quartz geodes and other impurities in most locations greatly affects the appearance and characteristics of the marls (Aiban et al., 1994). These variations are intensified by the layering of the marl borrow bits and, therefore, the marl properties can be considered time- (or depth-) dependent. That is why marl soils, generally, exhibit wide variations in terms of their characteristics, engineering properties and even their definition. It is also believed that the testing procedures need to be validated for this material and modified whenever necessary. Marl soils, being calcareous in nature, are influenced by the mineral composition, type of parent carbonate mineral present, origin and formation process, grain-size distribution and degree of cementation (Fookes and Higginbottom, 1975). In addition, the engineering properties of marls in eastern Saudi Arabia are very sensitive to the molding moisture content and the moisture content at testing (Aiban, 1994; Aiban et al., 1994). Marl is abundant in eastern Saudi Arabia in many places such as the Abqaiq, Dhahran, Dammam, Abu Ali, Hofuf, Berri, Fadhli, Jubail, Abu Hadriyah and Safaniyah areas (see Fig. 2). The marls in eastern Saudi Arabia, like all marls, vary greatly from one location to another in terms of colour, plasticity, physical and chemical composition and thus engineering properties. Marl colours found in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia include, but are not limited to, white, milky, dark and light gray, pink, yellow and brown. Marl plasticity varies from none to moderate depending on the composition, especially the clay mineral type and content (Aiban et al., 1995). Dumbleton and West (1966) stated that the percentage of clay minerals determined by X-ray analysis was much greater than the percentage of clay-size material determined by the grain-size analysis for Keuper marl. On the other hand, Anagnostopoulos et al. (1989) stated that the true clay minerals for

206

S.A. Aiban/Engineering Geology 39 (1995) 203 215

NAAIYA

*.. 0

AO0 AJJ

~"

I~

".

x,,AmAH.

+s,oo'.

++ / s/
Fig. 2. Map of eastern Saudi Arabia.

~,~+
ic

Corinth Canal are much less than the clay-size content as determined by sedimentation tests. The analysis performed by AI-Tayyib et al. (1985) indicated that marl from Abqaiq and Abu

Hadriyah contains about 93% dolomite and 5-7% quartz and feldspar, while marl from the D a m m a m Dhahran area is composed of about 70% dolomite, 15% quartz and feldspar, and

S.A. Aiban/Engineering Geology39 (1995) 203-215

207

5-10% gypsum. Qahwash (1989) indicated that the main components of Dhahran and Dammam marls, as analyzed by X-ray diffraction, are calcite, dolomite and clay minerals of variable percentages. The mineralogical analysis performed on Abqaiq marl indicated that the marl has about 43% quartz, 40% dolomite, 14% calcium carbonate and 3% different material. Further analysis is needed for marl in eastern Saudi Arabia from different locations to properly identify their characteristics. The large variations in marl types and properties have caused many definitions to be reported in the literature. Sowers and Sowers (1979) defined marl as a water-deposited sand, silt or clay containing calcium carbonate and often light to dark gray or greenish in color and sometimes containing colloidal organic matter. Terzaghi and Peck (1967) defined marl as stiff or very stiff marine calcareous clays of greenish color. Fookes and Higginbottom (1975) defined marl as a simple binary mixture of true clay and carbonate. Pettijohn (1975) defined marl as a rock with 35-65% carbonate with complementary content of clay. Many other definitions are listed in the work of Qahwash (1989) and AIBenAli (1989). In general, most of the definitions for marl indicate that these soils contain carbonate and clay in different percentages and may also include organic matter, silt or sand.

Table 1 Properties of Abqaiq marl Percentage passing No. 4 sieve (%) Percentage passing No. 10 sieve (%) Percentage passing No. 40 sieve (%) Percentage passing No. 200 sieve (%) Effective grain size, Dto (mm) Uniformity coefficient Cu Curvature coefficient Cc Specific gravity Liquid limit, LL (%) Plastic limit, PL (%) Plasticity index, PI (%) Description 33 32 26 14 0.05 635 1.42 2.71 47 45 2 White marl

using the X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. Representative samples from material passing US sieves No. 40 and No. 100 were obtained. Powder samples were prepared by grinding the material into fine powder (less than 50 #m). Different minerals were identified by the powder XRD analysis. The predominant non-clay minerals are quartz, dolomite and calcite with varying percentages. Small percentages of montmorillonite and other clay minerals were present.

2.2. Moisture-density relationships

The compaction curves for the marl were determined using the modified Proctor test for samples with particle sizes of up to 19 mm (3/4 inch) and samples passing US sieve No. 4; they are shown in Fig. 3. The maximum dry densities were found to be 1.84 and 1.79 g/cm3, and the optimum moisture contents were found to be 14% and 16% for the two gradations, respectively. The difference between the two curves reflects the effect of the maximum grain size. Samples with larger particles resulted in higher density and lower optimum moisture content values. This is important because the maximum grain size in the field could be more than 19 mm and thus larger density values are expected. In the laboratory, this is usually accounted for by replacing the fraction of material coarser than 19 mm by the same amount 6f the material passing the 19 mm sieve and retained in the No. 4 sieve.

2. Experimental programme and results

2.1. Physical and mineralogicalproperties

The experimental work was performed on white marl obtained from the Abqaiq area which is located approximately 60 km SSW of Dhahran, Saudi Arabia (la. =25 56', 1o. =49 41') as shown in Fig. 2. Representative samples were obtained for all tests, and any lumped pieces were broken down to their original solid particles prior to testing. Samples were air-dried and classification tests were performed according to the ASTM standards. Table 1 lists the various properties determined. The soil can be classified as a GM soil according to the USCS and as A-l-a according to the AASHTO classification system. The mineralogy of the soil was determined

208

S.A. Aiban/Engineering Geology 39 (1995) 203 215

195..... T - - T I MATERIAL I I I I I

PASSING NO 4 SIEVE PASSING T H E 19 turn S I E V E

90

" " ~1; " "

MATERIAL

185

-" . . . . A.

rio
"~" 1.80

/"

"".
1

~'~ 170

,/
4 6 g 10 12 14 16 18

\
20 22 24

1 65 '

1 60"

Molding water content (%) Fig. 3. Moisture densitycurves for Abqaiq marl.

torted to fill the macropores, which tend to disappear. For samples compacted on the dry side of optimum, the small macropeds serve as a bridge or a connector between larger macropeds or silt and sand grains. These bridges are relatively weak and upon wetting they become much weaker and the sample becomes unstable upon loading. The presence of large macropores intensifies the instability of samples compacted on the dry side of optimum. The connectors for samples compacted on the wet side of optimum are more of the irregular aggregation. Samples compacted at or near optimum have some regular connectors and some irregular aggregation.
2.4. California B e a r i n g R a t i o ( C B R ) test

2.3. S o i l f a b r i c

Previous investigations by Aiban (1993, 1994) and Aiban et al. (1994) indicated the dependency of the engineering properties of marl on the molding moisture content. In addition, the engineering properties of soils can be related to their fabric. It was, therefore, important to study the effect of molding moisture content on the fabric and thus on the engineering properties of marl. Samples from material passing US sieve # 4 were prepared at three different moisture contents, on the dry side of optimum (w ~ 10%), at optimum (w~ 16%) and on the wet side of optimum (w~21%). The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was used to identify the fabric at each molding water content. Fig. 4 shows the microstructure of the three samples at two different magnifications (x 100 and x 500 times). The SEM photographs indicate that as the moisture content decreases, the macropeds become well defined even for the small ones and the macropores become larger. However, as the moisture content increases, the macropeds become wetter and consequently weaker. Thus, during compaction these macropeds are more easily distorted and the size of the voids is reduced. Further increase in molding moisture content causes the macropeds to become even weaker and during compaction they are dis-

The CBR test is extensively used in the evaluation of materials in pavement construction despite the fact that the CBR test is not reliable. In this research project the CBR test was used to evaluate the effect of both molding and final (at testing) moisture content on the performance of the marl. In addition, the effect of soaking fluid on these samples was investigated by changing the concentration of sabkha brine. Concentration values ranging from 100% sabkha brine to 100% distilled water were made by diluting the sabkha brine with different ratios of distilled water. CBR samples were prepared at optimum moisture content and at moisture contents on the dry and wet sides of optimum. The desired amount of distilled water was mixed thoroughly with the marl and compacted in a CBR mold using the modified Proctor method. At each molding moisture content, twelve samples (6 pairs) were prepared. Two samples were tested right after preparation at their molding moisture content. The other ten were tested after soaking each pair in a different brine concentration for 96 h. The 96-h soaking period was chosen because cyclic soaking and unsoaking of up to four cycles of 96 hours each did not alter the CBR values (Aiban, 1993). In addition, the 96-h period is enough for the water penetration through the sample. The CBR values are plotted against molding moisture content and sabkha brine concentration

S.A. Aiban/Engineering Geology 39 (1995) 203-215

209

(a)

(b)

(c)
Fig. 4. SEM photographs showing the effect of molding moisture content on material passing US No. 4 sieve: (a) samples compacted on the dry side of optimum, (b) samples compacted at optimum; (c) samples compacted on the wet side of optimum. in Figs. 5 and 6, respectively. The variations o f the C B R values with the molding moisture content are similar to the m o i s t u r e - d e n s i t y curves. The C B R values for material passing the 19 m m sieve are higher than those passing the N o . 4 sieve. The u n s o a k e d and soaked C B R values are higher near

210

S.A. Aiban/Engineering Geology 39 (1995) 203 215

200 + " " i"" 150 i i

UNSOAKED SAMPLES SOAKED SAMPLES

",

> ,., m

100 50 f

12

16

20

Molding Water Content (%) Fig. 5. Variation of the CBR values with the molding moisture content.
150

J 100-

~k 0

AT OPTIMUM WET OF OPTIMUM DRY OF OPTIMUM [ I

~1 c_)

5o2

....

I ....
25

~ ....
50

J ....
75 100

Soaking brine ratio (%) Fig. 6. Effectof sabkha brine concentrationon the CBR values for samples compacted at differentmoisture contents. the optimum moisture content and decrease as the molding moisture content decreases below or increases above the optimum value. This is mainly caused by the close packing of particles for samples compacted at optimum moisture content. The decrease of the CBR values on the dry side of optimum is attributed to the lower density and the open structure, while the decrease on the wet side of optimum samples is related to the lower density and the presence of water that may dissolve some

of the salts and weaken the connectors. In addition, the excess water on the wet side of optimum samples results in a higher lubrication that could intensify the particle breakage and thus will result in a finer gradation. The size of the macropeds and macropores was observed to increase with decreasing molding moisture content. Therefore, water can penetrate samples compacted on the dry side of optimum more than those compacted at optimum and on the wet side of optimum, thus weakening the macropeds and, therefore, the whole sample. On the other hand, the presence of moisture in samples compacted on the wet side of optimum weakens the macropeds and also weakens the cementation provided by the salt, thus reducing the strength and increasing the compressibility. It can be seen that the unsoaked CBR values on the dry side of optimum are higher than the soaked values. However, the difference diminishes on the wet side of optimum. This is attributed to the open structure where upon soaking the airfilled macropores are filled by water and the macropeds become wetter and consequently weaker. The cementation provided by the relatively dry salt is also lost upon inundation. This causes the open structure to collapse and the CBR values to be reduced. These results indicate the dependency of the CBR values on both the molding water content and the moisture content at testing. It can also be seen that the CBR values for samples compacted on the wet side of optimum are somewhat independent of soaking. The swelling potential caused by soaking was monitored for the duration of the soaking period. Fig. 7 shows the final swelling variation with initial molding water content. Results indicate that the materials compacted on the dry side of optimum have a higher swelling potential compared to those compacted at higher moisture contents. This is mainly caused by the higher water affinity in the case of originally dry marl which contains montmorillonite. The soaking fluid penetration for all tests was investigated after the completion of each test, by taking samples from different elevations and different distances from the centerline of the sample. Results indicate that the penetration of soaking fluid through the sample was uniform for

S.A. Aiban/EngineeringGeology39 (1995) 203-215

3,0 2.5 ~~ - ~ SWELLING FROMC B R - SWELLING FROMOEDOMETER 4.5 ""

211

50

G" s00..
A

L~
2.0

.4.0
'3.5 15-

N
o
@

",

E
qJ

I~

600.

,,

: 30
.2.5

E
~

"~
400. t'~

100 051.5 0.0

1.0

g~

0~

200' " "~k" " MATERIAL PASSING19mm SIEVE m +

...... ....'

, , . i , , . i , , , i , , , i , , , i . , , i , . , i , , . i , . . i , '

10

12

14

16

IS

20

22

24

MATERIAL PASSINGNO. 4 StoVE

..........

Molding Water Content (%) Fig. 7. Effect of molding moisture content and testing procedure on the swell potential of Abqaiq marl.

' ....... 15

~-i-

..........

10

20

25

Molding water content (%) Fig. 8. Variation of the unconfined compressive strength with the molding moisture content.

all samples regardless of the initial moisture content. It was also found that the swell potential was not affected by the salinity of the soaking fluid.
2.5. Unconfined compression tests

Samples for the unconfined compression tests were prepared at different moisture contents, for the two different maximum grain sizes. Two samples of each gradation were prepared at each moisture content. The compaction procedure was similar to that followed in the preparation of the CBR samples but the number of blows was adjusted so that the density was kept the same as those of the compaction curves. Fig. 8 shows the variation of the unconfmed compressive strength with molding water content for the two gradations. The material that included larger sizes gave higher unconfined compressive strength values compared to those given by the finer-grained material. The variation of the unconfined compressive strength with the molding water content is similar to that of the dry density and CBR variations. On the dry side of optimum, the unconfined compressive strength increases with an increase in the molding water content. However, on the wet side of optimum, as the molding water content increases, the unconfined compressive strength decreases. It is interesting to note the similarity between the variations of the unconfined compressive

strength (q~) and the CBR values with molding moisture content (m%). Fig. 9 shows the relation between the CBR values and the qu values for material finer than 19 mm. The following two linear relationships can be obtained:
qu = 2 . 0 6 C B R +

345.6

m > mort

700

..~
t-

600

,~t

500

.~

400

E
0 o t... O e-

300

4"

200

DRY OF OPTIMUM

100

. . . .

. . . .

'

'

'

' . . .I .

. . . .

'

'

'

'

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

CaR (%) Fig. 9. Relationship between the CBR and unconfined compressive strength of Abqaiq marl.

212 and:
qu=5.17CBR-185.6

S.A. Aiban/EngineeringGeology39 (1995) 203 215

Table 2 Variations of 4 and c for Abqaiq marl m <mopt Sample description Compacted dry of optimum at 95% 7d Compacted at optimum ( 100% }'d) Compacted wet of optimum at 95% ";d ~b (') 34.27 33.42 33.04 c (kPa) 102.1 128.1 53.3

An average value obtained from the two equations will be used for the optimum value.
2.6. Triaxial compression test

Shear strength parameters, namely the angle of internal friction ~b and the cohesion c, were obtained for samples passing the US No. 4 sieve. Triaxial samples 71 mm (2.8 inches) in diameter were prepared at different moisture contents following the same procedure as the unconfined compression samples, discussed above. Two samples were tested at each confining stress. Samples were tested in an as-molded condition (i.e., without saturation). No volume change or pore pressure was measured during the test, The peak values for each test are plotted as shown in Fig. 10. Linear relationships can be fitted to the data. The variations of ~ and c are shown in Table 2. It is clear from the results that the highest strength is obtained for samples prepared at optimum moisture content. However, samples compacted on the dry side of optimum have a strength

envelope very close to that for samples prepared at optimum. Samples compacted on the wet side of optimum have the lowest strength compared to those compacted at lower moisture content values because of the higher water content and the fabric of the soil. Results, in general, indicate that the value $ is not highly dependent on the molding moisture content although the ~b values decrease slightly as the moisture content increases, This is mainly attributed to the roughness and size of the macropeds which increase as moisture content decreases. Results, on the other hand, show that the cohesion values are highly dependent on the molding moisture content although marl is nonplastic. The higher the moisture content, the lower the cohesion values. This is attributed to the loss of cementation and the weakness of the macropeds.
2.7. One-dimensional compressibility

800

700

"~"

600

500 '

0
O e'r.13 400

I
I i
-- -J; -- ~ DRY OF OPTIMUM AT OPTIMIIM WET OF OPTIMIJM

300

200

. . . .

. . . .

. . . .

'

'

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

Normal Stress (kPa) Fig. 10. Peak strength envelopes for samples prepared and tested at differentmoisture contents.

The one-dimensional oedometer tests are instrumental in predicting the compressibility, collapse and swelling potential of soils. On the other hand, oedorneter tests are elaborate and time-consuming and the analysis is lengthy. The effect of the molding and final moisture contents on the onedimensional swelling and compression was investigated by preparing and testing samples at different moisture contents. All oedometer samples were prepared from material passing sieve No. 4. Three types of oedometer testing were performed. The first type consisted of preparing samples, in the oedorneter ring, at the desired moisture content. A seating pressure of 3.5 kPa was applied and the samples were then inundated with distilled water while being allowed to swell vertically under the seating pressure. One-dimensional loading and unloading tests were performed according to

S.A. Aiban/Engineering Geology 39 (1995) 203-215

213

ASTM D 4546. The second type, however, consisted of preparing the samples at the desired moisture content and performing the one-dimensional test without soaking the samples, i.e., in an as-molded condition. The third type consisted of preparing each sample at the desired moisture content and then performing the one-dimensional test without soaking the sample at the beginning. One-dimensional loading was performed and, upon reaching a pressure of 300 kPa, each sample was inundated with distilled water. In all tests, one-dimensional loading continued until a pressure value of 1631.4 kPa was reached. One-dimensional unloading was then performed in the same way for all tests. Change in the specimen's (unsoaked ones) moisture content during testing was minimized by covering the sample with a moist towel. For each testing type, two samples were prepared at three different moisture content values, at optimum and 95% relative compaction, on both the wet and the dry sides of optimum. The first test type allows for the evaluation of the swelling potential and the compressibility of the soaked samples, while the second test type allows for the evaluation of the compressibility of samples at the molding moisture content. The third test type, however, was intended to evaluate the swelling and/or the collapse potential of the marl when inundated after loading. Figs. 11, 12 and 13 present typical results for the three types of tests. These results give rise to the following observations. First, all samples prepared at different moisture contents show some swelling that increases as the molding moisture content decreases. The freeswell values are plotted against the molding moisture content in Fig. 7. Second, the samples compacted at and to the dry side of optimum and tested in as-molded conditions are less compressible than those tested after inundation. On the other hand, the compressibility of samples compacted on the wet side of optimum is not highly dependent on the inundation process except for the initial swelling and initial compression. Third, the samples compacted on the dry side of optimum are less compressible than those compacted on the wet side of optimum at the same dry density. The difference is more pronounced for the samples tested in the as-molded conditions. Fourth, the

0.75 0.70 0.65 0,60 0.55 0.50 0.45 0.40 0.35

~,WATERADDED/ ""0"-

ATOPTIMUM

:--,.

/ ::.:
"A

~" -~"

........

t 10

........

! 100

........

! 1000

........ 10000

Effective Vertical Stress (kPa) Fig. 11. Oedometertest results for samplesprep~'ed at different moisture contents and tested after inundation with distilled water.
0.75 0.70
-- AT OPTIMUM DRY OF OPT/MUM

0.65

--@--

V~T OFoPn~tn~

.o 0.60
"P--o. ~J..

0.55
g 0.50 0.45 0.40 035
........ I
10

........

I
100

........

i
1000

........
10000

Effective Vertical Stress (kPa) Fig. 12. Oedometertest resultsfor samplesprepared at different moisture contents and tested without inundation. effect of inundation on the e - l o g trv' curves, at higher stress level, is negligible; the behaviour is dependent on the molding moisture content. For samples compacted on the wet side of optimum, the sample has enough moisture and, therefore, has no potential for swell or collapse. On the other hand, samples compacted at optimum and on the dry side of optimum have lower moisture content and, therefore, have some swelling potential. However, samples compacted at optimum and on

214
0 75 0 70 -- 065 060 ~-" ".~" r . ~ . ~ 055 o ;> 0 5O 0,45 040 0.35 "~*":" ~ ' . " 1 , .

S.A, Aiban/Engmeering Geology 39 (1995) 203-215

AT Olq'l MLrM - I)RYOI'f)PTIMIJM WE'I OF ( ,~P77MUM

"" ~ " "

~WATER ADDED

. . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . .

i 100

. . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . .

I0

1000

I0000

those compacted at optimum and on the wet side of optimum. (4) The influence of wetting was characterized by a reduction in strength and an increase in compressibility. The effect of wetting was significant for samples compacted on the dry side of optimum. (5) Samples containing larger particles have higher CBR and unconfined compressive strength values compared to those containing finer particles. (6) The angle of internal friction is not sensitive to the molding moisture content but the cohesion values are highly dependent on the molding moisture content.

Efti~ctive Vertical Stress (kPa) Fig. 13. Oedometer test results for samples prepared at different moisture contents and tested initially without inundation and then inundated with distilled water at a load of 300 kPa.

Acknowledgment
The author wishes to acknowledge the support provided by King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

the dry side of optimum have larger macropeds and macropores that increase in size with a lowering of the molding moisture content, and upon inundation the swelling will be accommodated within the larger pores (locally) and will show no effect on the overall void ratio.

References
Aiban, S.A., 1993. Engineering properties of fine-grained calcareous sediments. Proc. 3rd Int. Conf. A1-Azhar Engineering, pp. 264-276. Aiban, S.A., 1994. Strength and compressibility of fine-grained calcareous sediments. 1st Reg. Conf. ASCE Saudi Arabian Section (SAS), Bahrain, pp. 371-382. Aiban, S.A., A1-Abdul Wahhab, H. and Al-Amoudi, O.S.B., 1994. Identification, evaluation and improvement of eastern Saudi soils for constructional purposes. Progr. Rep. 1, submitted to King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology ( KACST AR-14-61 ). Aiban, S.A., A1-Abdul Wahhab, H. and AI-Amoudi, O.S.B.. 1995. Identification, evaluation and improvement of eastern Saudi soils for constructional purposes. Progr. Rep. 2 to be submitted to King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST AR-14-61 ). Akili, W., 1980. Some properties of remoulded carbonate soils. Proc. 10th Int. Conf. Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, Stockholm, Vol. 4(4): 537-542. AI-Abdul Wahhab, H.I. and Ramadhan, R., 1990. Prediction of pavement rutting in the eastern Saudi Arabia. Arabian J. Sci. Eng., 15(3): 385-402. AI-BenAli, J.G., 1989. Mechanical soil stabilization for the construction of remote air strips. Master of Engineering Rep., Dep. Civ. Eng., King Fahd Univ. Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. AI-Tayyib, A.J., Abbasi, A.F., Azad, A.K, Baluch, M.H.,

3. Summary and conclusion

The laboratory investigation pertbrmed on Abqaiq marl indicated that the performance of fine-grained calcareous sediment is greatly influenced by the preparation method. An appreciable difference in behaviour was exhibited between samples prepared at optimum water content and at the dry or wet sides of optimum. The following concluding remarks can be made. (1) Samples compacted on the dry side of optimum had lower strength (CBR and unconfined) in both as-molded conditions and upon inundation, and higher compressibility upon wetting compared to samples compacted at optimum. (2) Samples compacted on the wet side of optimum had lower strength and higher compressibility compared to those compacted at optimum. (3) Samples compacted on the dry side of optimum had higher swelling potential compared to

S.A. A iban/Engineering Geology39 (1995) 203-215

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