AN INVESTIGATION OF THE DURABILITY OF SHALE OF THE MEAFORD-DUNDAS FORMATION FROM THE INTERSECTION OF HIGHWAY 401 AND HIGHWAY 403

The Soils & Aggregates Unit was asked by P. Penev of Central Region, Geotechnical Section, to evaluate the suitability of shale for swamp backfill. A cut of 24 to 25 feet has to be made for the construction of the Highway 403 Underpass at Highway 401. This cut will be made into a horizon composed of a heterogeneous mixture of clayey silt and silty clay with some sand and gravel. The thickness of this layer varies from five to nine feet. This deposit is underlain by bedrock of the Meaford-Dundas formation of Upper Ordovician age. This deposit is composed of shale and shale with limestone lamina interbedded with silty and medium crystalline limestone beds up to one foot thick. It is proposed that the bedrock be used for swamp backfill at a site about 2.5 miles to the south near the junction of Highway 403 and Eglinton Avenue. The Slake-Durability test, first developed by Franklin and Chandra (1972) and used by Hudec (1976) for a study sponsored by this Ministry, is capable of evaluating the susceptibility of shale to slaking and breakdown when used as a swamp fill material. The objectives of this study were: evaluate the suitability of shale from this site for use as swamp fill material; and investigate the effect of sample particle size on the performance of the Slake-Durability test and to develop the test to a point where it could be used in this laboratory. (Author)

• Corporate Authors:

  Ontario Ministry of Transportation & Communic, Can

  Engineering Materials Office, 1201 Wilson Avenue
  Downsview, ONo M3M 1J8,   Canada 
• Authors:
  • Rogers, C A
• Publication Date: 1977-6

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 13 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Backfilling; Clay; Durability; Grain size (Geology); Limestone; Shale; Silts; Slaking; Swamps; Utilization
• Old TRIS Terms: Backfills
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Materials; Research; I33: Other Materials used in Pavement Layers;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00335526
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: EM-6
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 23 1981 12:00AM