EXPANSIVE SOIL STUDY

When pavements (both asphalt concrete and portland cement concrete) are built over expansive soils, the surface often distorts and/or cracks, causing poor riding qualities and excessive maintenance. Sixty-four locations throughout the state reportedly having pavement distress due to expansive soils were investigated for environmental factors and the pavement conditions evaluated. Twenty-five representative locations were selected from these and soil samples obtained for a laboratory investigation to determine which soil characteristics were most applicable for predicting potential cracking distress. The laboratory testing indicated approximately eighty percent of these locations were considered to have significant distress which could be attributed to expansive soils. The other twenty percent contained distress apparently caused by other than expansive soils. The laboratory work indicated that some routine soil classification tests are equal to, or better than, certain cumbersome tests recommended by other researchers for identifying expansive soils. The linear expansion test is recommended for use to establish moisture/density values for construction.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Prepared in cooperation with Federal Highway Administration, Washington, D.C.
• Corporate Authors:

  California Department of Transportation

  Transportation Laboratory
  5900 Folsom Boulevard
  Sacramento, CA  United States  95819

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Murray, B D
• Publication Date: 1976-4

Media Info

• Pagination: 78 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Asphalt concrete; Cracking; Defects; Density; Flexible pavements; Forecasting; Fracture mechanics; Moisture content; Pavement distress; Pavement maintenance; Pavements; Portland cement; Properties of materials; Soil compaction; Soil mechanics; Soil tests; Soil types; Soils; Swelling soils
• Uncontrolled Terms: Crack propagation; Soil classification
• Geographic Terms: California
• Old TRIS Terms: Soil characteristics; Soil compacting
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Materials; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00166435
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: CADOTTL-3470-1-76-26Final Rpt., 633470
• Files: NTIS, TRIS, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Sep 28 1978 12:00AM