Published in Scientific Papers. Series E. Land Reclamation, Earth Observation & Surveying, Environmental Engineering, Vol. XIII
Written by Ernest Daniel OLINIC, Tatiana OLINIC
The physical characteristics of a soil give indication on its mechanical behavior and also offer suggestions in the correct programming of the laboratory tests, which will correctly describe the mechanical behavior of the soil. The plasticity index and the consistency index are two important parameters used to describe the cohesive soils. If the plasticity index is a nature parameter, the consistency index is a state parameter, which describes the state of the soil at its natural moisture content. The consistency index is the difference between the liquid limit and the natural moisture content, divided to the plasticity index. For the calculation of the consistency index corresponding to the state of saturation, the natural moisture content is replaced by the saturation moisture content, a situation in which, for the respective soil, the lowest state of consistency is anticipated in the assumption of its saturation. Beyond the theoretical aspects regarding the definition of this parameter, never previously used in technical literature, being an invention of the authors, the paper presents calculation examples and case studies with an emphasis on collapsible soils and swellings-shrinking soils, which represent difficult foundation conditions.
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