CONSTRUCTION PROBLEMS EXPERIENCED WITH LOESS SOILS

THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES AND STRUCTURAL MAKEUP OF LOESS SOILS ARE BRIEFLY DESCRIBED, PRINCIPALLY WITH REFERENCE TO THE MANNER IN WHICH THEY CONTRIBUTE TO THE BEHAVIOR OF LOESS IN VARIOUS TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION WORK. THE INTERNAL STRUCTURE, STRATIFICATION AND SLOPE FACE PROBLEMS ARE DISCUSSED. CONSTRUCTION PROBLEMS OF LOESS IN THE CENTRAL NEBRASKA PROJECT ARE DESCRIBED. THIS PROJECT REPRESENTED A FAIRLY LARGE-SCALE PROJECT AND DEMONSTRATED THAT LOESS SOIL COULD SAFELY BE USED IN CONSTRUCTION WORK AS AN EMBANKMENT MATERIAL OR IN SITU AS A FOUNDATION MATERIAL FOR EARTH DAM STRUCTURES OR HYDRAULIC STRUCTURES. THE POLICY OF COMPACTING THE SOIL IN ALL DAMS WET OF OPTIMUM IS BELIEVED TO BE THE PRINCIPAL REASON THAT ALL STRUCTURES SAFELY WITHSTOOD THE RATHER SEVERE DIFFERENTIAL SETTLEMENTS THAT OCCURRED. THE SATISFACTORY BEHAVIOR OF THE STEEP BACK SLOPES USED ALONG THE POWER CANAL TO DATE (APPROXIMATELY 30 YEARS) IS AMPLE EVIDENCE THAT STEEP SLOPES SHOULD BE USED IN LOESS SOILS.

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrr/1968/212/212-002.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Paper sponsored by Ad Hoc Committee on Loess and presented at the 45th Annual Meeting. Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
• Authors:
  • Turnbull, W J
• Publication Date: 1968

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: pp 10-27
• Monograph Title: Conference on loess: design and construction
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Record
  • Issue Number: 212
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Backslopes; Construction; Differential settlement; Earth dams; Embankments; Foundation soils; Hydraulic structures; Loess; Physical properties; Slopes; Soil compaction; Soils
• Old TRIS Terms: Loess soils
• Subject Areas: Construction; Geotechnology; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00231306
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Aug 15 2004 2:41AM