Effect of Temperature on Swelling Pressure and Compressibility of soil

Construction of building on clay soil is highly risky due to its poor strength. Clayey soil creates many problems for the Geotechnical Engineers primarily because of repeated change of moisture content. Normally, these soils increase in size and swell when they absorb water and reduce in size and shrink when they become dry. Volume change in soil leads to distortions in the form of settlement due to contraction as a result of dryness or in the form of expansion due to swelling as a result of the absorption of water. There may be the need for soil treatment to improve the engineering properties of such soil. Compacted bentonite is often used as a buffer materials and for radioactive waste disposal system. A good understanding of the hydro-mechanical behavior of clay soil is essential to ensure safe disposal. The present study reports the results on the effects of temperature on swelling pressure and compressibility characteristics of the soil. A new oedometer was designed and developed in-house to carry out consolidation and swelling pressure tests at a higher temperature.