Soaking effects on the shear strength parameters and bearing capacity of soil

Abstract EN

This research includes complete study of the laboratory examinations for soil layers and its engineering properties for certain areas of Baghdad city (Alkadhimya, Alaitaifiya, and Alhurriya).

The soil was classified according to USCS and showed the soil is considered as a non-homogenous Because of the presence of multiple chemical materials in the soil, some chemical examinations have been done such as sulphate percentage, gypsum content, total soluble salts, in addition to the amount of acidity and alkality (pH) in the soil.

In this research the direct shear test was used to obtained to value (cohesion and internal friction angle) for the soil in both natural situation and (24 hour) in water soaked situation.

The laboratory tests results showed that these soils have high bearing capacity was varied between (1200 --- 3000) kPa while (760 --- 1000) kPa at soaking state and that the parameters of shear (cohesion and internal friction angle) decrease when soaked in water but the main decrease was in cohesion value.

Soaking of soils reduced cohesion by approximately (2-2.5) folds, while the angle of internal friction exhibited marginal reduction.