A CLIMATIC INDEX OF WEATHERING AND ITS APPLICATION IN ROAD CONSTRUCTION

Weathered rocks are the predominant natural road building materials in southern Africa and their performance depends very much on the type of rock and the climatic environment in which such rocks weather. Climatic conditions which lead either to the predominance of disintegration, due to physical weathering, or to decomposition, due to chemical weathering, are defined in terms of an n value which is expressed as twelve times the computed free-water evaporation during the warmest month divided by the total annual precipitation. The particular feature of the formula is the use of climatic parameters for one particular month as well as for the whole year. The impact of the n value on weathering, on soil formation and on secondary transformations of soils (pedogenic materials), as well as on human activities in engineering and agriculture, are briefly described and the n value is compared with the moisture index I of Thornthwaite. /Author/TRRL/

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00168505
• Corporate Authors:

  Institution of Civil Engineers

  One Great George Street, Westminster
  London,   United Kingdom  SW1P 3AA
• Authors:
  • Weinert, H H
• Publication Date: 1974-12

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 475-488
• Serial:
  • GEOTECHNIQUE
  • Volume: 24
  • Issue Number: 4
  • Publisher: Thomas Telford Limited
  • ISSN: 0016-8505

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Climate; Indexes; Mathematical models; Moisture content; Road construction; Rocks; Soils; Weather; Weathering
• Uncontrolled Terms: Modifications
• Geographic Terms: Africa; South Africa
• ITRD Terms: 8001: Africa; 4577: Aggregate; 8513: Classification; 5910: Durability; 9020: Evaluation (assessment); 6473: Mathematical model; 9048: Modification; 5920: Moisture content; 4154: Rock; 4156: Soil; 8103: South Africa; 2545: Weather; 5281: Weathering
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; I43: Rock Mechanics;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00125132
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport and Road Research Laboratory (TRRL)
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 18 1975 12:00AM