Permeation of compacted clay with organic fluids

Abstract

Penetration of organic liquids through the soil causes contamination and considerable changes in the geotechnical properties of soils. In general, these changes are attributed to variations in the dielectric constant and chemistry of the pore fluids, which result in several changes in soil behaviour. For this reason, it is necessary to investigate the geotechnical properties of contaminated soils for engineering and environmental purposes. In the present study, an extensive laboratory investigation programme was carried out on a clayey soil to examine the effect of different percentages of pore fluids on sedimentation time, plasticity and shear strength of the soil obtained from Famagusta, North Cyprus. Contaminated specimens were prepared with different percentages of 0, 20, 40 and 60% ethylene glycol by volume of distilled water. Index tests were performed in order to investigate the sedimentation time and the plasticity changes in the contaminated soils. Finally, unconfined compression tests were carried out on the contaminated samples to evaluate the shear strength parameter of the soil. The results showed a decrease in sedimentation time and plasticity, and it was also shown that the unconfined compressive strength of the contaminated soils decreases with increasing percentage of ethylene glycol.

Keywords:

• contaminated soil
• organic fluid
• ethylene glycol
• index test
• shear strength

Acknowledgements

This investigation forms part of a thesis under the title ‘Pore Fluid Effects on Physicochemical and Engineering Properties of Compacted Clay' (Mosavat 2010). Thanks are due to the Geotechnical Laboratory of the Eastern Mediterranean University for its financial and technical support, and for the other help that it has provided.