Experimental study of desiccation of soil

Abstract

Basic phenomena involved in crack generation during drying, and the ways to control or avoid it, are still elusive. Mechanisms of shrinkage and cracking are addressed, and especially the critical role in crack onset during drying of boundary constraints and induced tensile stresses. Two kinds of experimental tests were carried out on samples of fine-grained soil under controlled conditions: free desiccation tests and constrained desiccation tests. Measurements of strains, gravimetric water content and suction allow the drawing of some conclusions about the influence and the evolution of these tensile stresses during drying. Copyright ASCE 2006.

DOI
10.1061/40802(189)87
Year