Engineering characteristics of sand-clay mixtures used for clay cores of earth-fill dams

Gokalp Z.

CLAY MINERALS, cilt.44, sa.3, ss.319-326, 2009 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 44 Sayı: 3
  • Basım Tarihi: 2009
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1180/claymin.2009.044.3.319
  • Dergi Adı: CLAY MINERALS
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.319-326
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: sand-clay mixtures, clay core, expansive clay, earth-fill dams, montmorillonite
  • Erciyes Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Clay is the main construction material for clay cores of earth-fill dams. Clay minerals swell when they become wet and shrink when they dry out; cracks develop as they lose moisture. If precautions are not taken to prevent seepage through these cracks, dam failures may result. In this study, sand was added to montmorillonite-dominant clay soils to investigate the effect of sand-inclusion rates on the engineering characteristics of clay soils used in the construction of clay cores of earth-fill dams. Changes in the consistency limits, compaction characteristics, permeability, stress-strain relationships and swelling characteristics with increasing sand inclusion rates were evaluated. Based on the results from experimental trials, a 30% sand inclusion rate appears to be the optimum proportion; most of the swelling occurred in the voids of grains and led to permeability levels below the allowable limits for earth-fill dams.