- Title
- Effect of coal addition on the swelling potential of a weathered claystone
- Creator
- Johnston, J.; Fityus, S.; Buzzi, O.
- Relation
- 6th International Conference on Unsaturated Soils (UNSAT 2014). Unsaturated Soils: Research & Applications - Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Unsaturated Soils (Sydney 2-4 July, 2014) p. 897-902
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1201/b17034-129
- Publisher
- CRC Press
- Resource Type
- conference paper
- Date
- 2014
- Description
- The Hunter Expressway is a $1.7 billion road project in the Hunter Valley, NSW, Australia to provide a new east-west connection between Newcastle and the Lower Hunter. A large part of the materials encountered on site are expansive tuffaceous soils that would normally be discarded. However, because of increasing financial, environmental and space constraints, it is required to make use of these swelling materials in embankments. These materials include highly weathered claystone containing about 20% in mass of smectite. The highly plastic claystone is present in layers alternating with layers of nonplastic coal. Hence, when excavating the material, the claystone is mixed with the coal and it becomes relevant to consider the swelling potential of the mixture instead of that of the claystone alone. Some typical coal and claystone materials used in embankments were characterized by compaction curves and Atterburg limits. Then, a series of swelling tests were conducted on compacted specimens, of mixtures of coal and claystone, prepared in the laboratory with comparable initial conditions (suction and void ratio) so that any change in swelling potential could be solely attributed to the coal content. The results show that the addition of the coal has an effect in reducing the swelling potential of the claystone beyond a simple dilution effect. Some type of swell inhibition is implied. The addition of coal also significantly reduces the time taken for final swell strain to be reached.
- Subject
- expansive tuffaceous soils; embankments; weathered claystone; smectite; non-plastic coal; swell inhibition
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1303911
- Identifier
- uon:20757
- Identifier
- ISBN:9781138001503
- Language
- eng
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