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Swelling and shrinking soils

Lee Jones, Vanessa Banks and Ian Jefferson
Swelling and shrinking soils (in Geological hazards in the UK; their occurrence, monitoring and mitigation; Engineering Group Working Party report, David Peter Giles (editor) and J. S. Griffiths (editor))
Engineering Geology Special Publication (2020) 29: 223-242

Abstract

Swelling and shrinking soils are soils that can experience large changes in volume due to changes in water content. This may be due to seasonal changes in moisture content, local site changes such as leakage from water supply pipes or drains, changes to surface drainage and landscaping, or following the planting, removal or severe pruning of trees or hedges. These soils represent a significant hazard to structural engineers across the world due to their shrink-swell behaviour, with the cost of mitigation alone running into several billion pounds annually. These soils usually contain some form of clay mineral, such as smectite or vermiculite, and can be found in humid and arid/semi-arid environments where their expansive nature can cause significant damage to properties and infrastructure. This chapter discusses the properties and costs associated with shrink-swell soils, their formation and distribution throughout the UK and the rest of the world, and their geological and geotechnical characterization. It also considers the mechanisms of shrink-swell soils and their behaviour, reviewing strategies for managing them in an engineering context, before finally outlining the problem of trees and shrink-swell soils.


ISSN: 0267-9914
Serial Title: Engineering Geology Special Publication
Serial Volume: 29
Title: Swelling and shrinking soils
Title: Geological hazards in the UK; their occurrence, monitoring and mitigation; Engineering Group Working Party report
Author(s): Jones, LeeBanks, VanessaJefferson, Ian
Author(s): Giles, David Petereditor
Author(s): Griffiths, J. S.editor
Affiliation: British Geological Survey, Environmental Science Centre, Nottingham, United Kingdom
Affiliation: Card Geotechnics, Godalming, United Kingdom
Pages: 223-242
Published: 2020
Text Language: English
Publisher: Geological Society of London, London, United Kingdom
ISBN: 978-1-78620-461-5
References: 74
Accession Number: 2021-064473
Categories: Engineering geology
Document Type: Serial
Bibliographic Level: Analytic
Illustration Description: illus. incl. 2 tables, geol. sketch map
N50°00'00" - N61°00'00", W08°00'00" - E02°00'00"
Secondary Affiliation: University of Birmingham, GBR, United Kingdom
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Secondary Affiliation: GeoRef, Copyright 2021, American Geosciences Institute.
Update Code: 2021
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