THEORY OF

STRUCTURES
ASSIGNMENT 1
SAKSHI SHARMA
B.ARCH 3RD YEAR B SECTION
TYPES OF SOILS
1. Sand soils
Sand soils are often dry, nutrient deficient and fast-draining. They have little (or no) ability to transport water from deeper layers through capillary
transport. Therefore, tillage of sandy soils in the spring should be kept to a minimum in order to retain moisture in the seedbed. The nutrient- and
water-holding capacity of sand soils can be improved through adding organic material.
2. Silt soils, 0-10% clay
These soils differ from sand soils by having a greater tendency to form a crust, which is often very hard. If they are over-tilled, they can become
compact and this decreases their ability to infiltrate water in wet periods. In dry conditions they can become hard and difficult to till. However,
they are generally easy to till and can store considerable amounts of water. They require good reconsolidation, but tillage in wet conditions should
be avoided.
3. Clay soils with 10-25% clay
These soils differ from those described above in that crusting can be very severe. The crust is often so hard that it has to be broken up. With low
contents of clay and organic material, aggregate formation is often poor.
4. Clay soils with 25-40% clay
These soils have a good ability to transport water by capillary action from deep layers but the rate is slow, so plant water requirements are not
met through capillary water. These soils are darker in colour and soil aggregation is more distinct. Aggregation decreases the risk of crusting.
These soils must be tilled at the correct water content in order to be easily cultivated. There is a risk of clotting if conditions are too dry, or of
smearing if they are too wet. These soils have a good ability to improve their structure through the action of climate, roots etc.
5. Clay soils with 40% clay
Heavy clays have a very high water-holding capacity, but most of the water is tightly bound and not available to plants. The humus content is often
higher than in other mineral soils. They do not form a crust when they dry. These soils have a very good ability to improve their structure through
e.g. freezing/thawing and drying/wetting. In cold winters the clay freezes apart and forms a very favorable aggregated structure in the topsoil
layer. If the clay dries out without having been frozen, it can become very stiff and difficult to work. In the water-saturated state these soils can be
sticky and very impermeable to water. Due to the high clay content, the nutrient content is very high. Heavy clays need a high degree of
recompaction around the seed when they are dry, but not when they are damp and plastic. The risk with tilling them in wet conditions is that it
leads to soil compaction
 ACTIVE AND PASSIVE PRESSURE
Earth pressure is the lateral pressure exerted by the soil on a shoring system. It is dependent on the soil structure and the
interaction or movement with the retaining system.
Following are the types of earth pressure:
1. At rest state: (When the wall is stationary and back fill soil have no tendency to move.) under the rest condition the Retaining
wall is stationary therefore lateral stress will be zero.
2. Active state: (when wall moves away from from fill) Active state is developed when the wall moves away from the back fill. The
active earth pressure is less than pressure at rest because the internal resistance is mobilize in the soil of back fill when wall
moves away from the back fill.
3. passive pressure: (when wall moves against the fill) In passive state the wall is pushed towards the back fill. The passive earth
pressure is greater than earth pressure at rest because shearing resistance is built up between two surface of soil mass
COHESIVE SOIL TEST
• Cohesive soils are clay type soils. Cohesion is the force that holds together molecules or like particles
within a soil.

• Cohesion, c, is usually determined in the laboratory from the Direct Shear Test. Unconfined Compressive
Strength, Suc, can be determined in the laboratory using the Triaxial Test or the Unconfined Compressive
Strength Test.

• There are also correlations for Suc with shear strength as estimated from the field using Vane Shear
Tests.

• c = Suc/2

Where: c = cohesion, kN/m2 (lb/ft2), and Suc = unconfined compressive strength, kN/m2 (lb/ft2)