Gambella University

Collage of Engineering and Technology

Department of Water Resources and Irrigation Engineering

Foundation Engineering (CEng-4074)

Introduction to Foundation of Expansive Soils

By Hailu T. (MSc.)
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 INTRODUCTION
 Expansive soils are considered as worldwide natural
hazards that pose challenges to civil and water engineers,
construction firms, and owners.
 In some underdeveloped countries, buildings were
constructed without any knowledge of the presence of
expansive soils.
 With the rapid development in urban infrastructure,
expansive soil problems have become more evident.
 Expansive soils occur in many parts of the world but
particularly in arid and semi-arid regions.
 In these regions, evaporation rates are higher than the
annual rainfall so that there is almost always a moisture
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 … INTRODUCTION
 The addition of water will cause ground heave in soils
possessing swelling potential.
 Semi-arid regions are characterized by short periods of rainfall
followed by long periods of draught causing cyclic swelling and
shrinking phenomena.
 The ground heave that results from soil swelling potential is a
multifactorial phenomenon that involves
 A combination of the type of material,
 Type and amount of clay minerals,
 Microfabric,
 Initial moisture content, and
 Initial dry density.
 Expansive soils in many parts of the world pose a significant
hazard to foundations for light buildings.
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 … INTRODUCTION
 Swelling clays derived from residual soils can exert uplift
pressures of as much as 260kN/m2, which can do
considerable damage to lightly-loaded wood-frame
structures.
 Insurance companies pay out millions of dollars yearly to
repair homes distressed by expansive soils.

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 … INTRODUCTION
 In the field, expansive clay soils can be easily recognized in
the dry season by the deep cracks, in roughly polygonal
patterns, in the ground surface (see Figure).

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 Mineral Composition of Expansive Soils
 The parent materials of expansive soils may be classified
into two groups.
 The basic igneous rocks such as basalt, gabbro's,
dolerite sills and dykes etc., where feldspar and pyroxene
minerals of the parent rocks decompose to form
montmorillonite, the predominant mineral of expansive
soil and other secondary minerals.
 The second group comprises sedimentary rocks that
contain montmorillonite, and break down physically to
form expansive soils.
 There are indications that confirm the expansive soils of
Ethiopia are derived from both groups.
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 Mineral Composition of Expansive Soils
 The three most important groups of clay minerals
are montmorillonite, illite, and kaolinite, which
are crystalline hydrous aluminosilicates.
 of these groups, it is the clay mineral
montmorillonite that presents most of the
foundation problems.
 Essentially, montmorillonite is a three-layered
mineral having a single octahedral alumina sheet
sandwiched between two silica sheets.

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 … Mineral Composition of Expansive Soils
 The bonds are comparatively weak, and water can enter
between the sheets causing them to expand readily.
 When water is removed from the boundary, the sheets
contract. Thus soil containing substantial amounts of
montmorillonite will exhibit high shrinkage and swelling
characteristics.
 Experience shows that swelling problems arise when soils
contain more than 20% montmorillonite mineral.
 The expansive clay soils prevalent in Ethiopia are either
black cotton soil or dark grey.
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 Physical Properties of Expansive Soils
Basic parameters in expansive soils.
I. Swelling Potential: defined as the percentage of swell of

a laterally confined sample in an oedometer test which is

soaked under a surcharge load of 7 kPa (1 lb/in2) after
being compacted to maximum dry density at optimum
moisture content according to the AASHTO compaction
test.

II. Swelling Pressure: is defined as the pressure required for

preventing volume expansion in soil in contact with water.

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 …Physical Properties of Expansive Soils
 It should be noted here that the swelling pressure
measured in a laboratory oedometer is different from
that in the field.
 The actual field swelling pressure is always less than
the one measured in the laboratory.
III. Free Swell
Free swell S, is defined as,
𝑽𝒇 −𝑽𝒊
𝑺𝒇 = ∗ 𝟏𝟎𝟎
𝑽𝒊
Where: Vi=initial dry volume of poured soil
Vf= final volume of poured soil
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Evaluation of the Swelling Potential of Expansive Soils
 Simple soil property tests can be used for the evaluation
of the swelling potential of expansive soils (Chen, 1988).
These tests are:
1. Atterberg limits tests
2. Linear shrinkage tests
3. Free swell tests
4. Colloid content tests

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 1. Atterberg Limits
 The plasticity Index, Ip, and the liquid limit, LL are
useful indices for determining the swelling
characteristics of most clays.
 The relation between the swelling potential of clays
and the plasticity index
 Swelling potential increases with plasticity index

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 2. Linear Shrinkage
 The swell potential is presumed to be related to the
opposite property of shrinkage limit measured in a very
simple test.
Table 2. Relation between swelling potential, shrinkage
limits, and linear shrinkage
Shrinkage limit (%) Linear Shrinkage % Degree of expansion

<10 >8 Critical

10-12 5-8 Marginal

>12 0-5 Non-critical

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 3. Colloid Content
 There is a direct relationship between colloid content
and swelling potential as shown in Fig. (Chen, 1988).

Fig. : Relationship between percentage of swell and percentage of clay sizes for
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experimental soils (after Seed et al., 1962)
 Plasticity chart in relation to expansive soil
 Employing this plasticity chart, many authors found that
the A-line in the chart generally defines the expansive soil,
since the great majority of plots, representing soils known
to be expansive, fall above this line.

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 Swelling potential determination using empirical equation

 Anderson et al (1969) suggested empirical relations from

which they were able to relate the degree of expansion with
the plasticity index.

𝑺 = 𝟎. 𝟐𝟑𝑰𝒑 − 𝟑. 𝟏𝟐

Where: S=swelling potential

Ip=plasticity Index

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 Foundation Damage
 The most obvious way in which expansive soils can damage
foundations is by uplift as they swell with moisture increases.

 Swelling soils lift up and crack lightly-loaded, continuous strip

footings, and frequently cause distress in floor slabs.

 As shown in the next figure, the exterior corners of a

uniformly-loaded rectangular slab foundation will only exert
about one-fourth of the normal pressure on a swelling soil of
that exerted at the central portion of the slab.
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 As a result, the corners tend to be lifted up relative to the
central portion.
Figure : A rectangular slab, uniformly loaded, will tend to lift up in the
corners because there is less confinement.

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 The next figure shows damage to home supported on
shallow piers.
 At the beginning of the rainy season, the piers are still
supported by friction with the soil. When it begins to rain,
water enters deep into the soil through the cracks.
 After 5 to 10 large storms, the soil swells, lifting the
house and piers.
 In the dry season, the groundwater table falls and the soil
dries and contracts. As tension cracks grow around the
pier, the skin friction is reduced and the effective stress of
the soil increases (due to drying). When the building load
exceeds the remaining skin friction the pier sinks.
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 Expansive soils pose the greatest hazard in regions with
pronounced wet and dry seasons. The annual cycle of
wetting and drying causes soils to shrink and swell each
year.
 Thus, the arid regions of the country are much more
susceptible to damage from expansive soils than regions
that maintain moist soil conditions throughout the year.
 The biggest problem in expansive soil areas is that of
differential water content.
 Sources of water in developed areas are not limited to
temporal weather cycles, but can be introduced by people.

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 Mitigation measures and design alternatives on
expansive soils
 The best way to avoid damage from expansive soils is to
extend building foundations beneath the zone of water
content fluctuation. The reason is :
To provide for sufficient skin friction adhesion below the
zone of drying; and,
To resist upward movement when the surface soils
become wet and begin to swell.
 Another way of mitigating expansive soil problems is
 To collect surface runoff and to limit surface infiltration
during the rainy winter months.

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 It is necessary to note that all parts of a building will not

equally be affected by the swelling potential of the soil.

 Beneath the center of a building where the soil is protected

from sun and rain the moisture changes are small and the
soil movements the least.

 Beneath outside walls, the movements are greater. Damage

to buildings is greatest on the outside walls due to soil

movements.

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 Three general types of foundations can be considered in
expansive soils.
1. Structures that can be kept isolated from the swelling
effects of the soils
2. Designing of foundations that will remain undamaged
in spite of swelling
3. Elimination of swelling potential of soil.
 All three methods are in use either singly or in combination,
but the first is by far the most widespread.
 Drilled piers are commonly used to resist uplift forces
caused by the swelling of soils. Drilled piers, when made
with an enlarged base, are called, belled piers and when
made without an enlarged base are referred to as straight-
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shaft piers.
 Thank you!!!

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