BY

R.Uma Maheswari
(11F61A0151)
J.Srija(11F61A0146)

Introduction

Foundation is the lowest load-bearing part of

engineering infrastructures, typically below ground
level. Foundations are affected by engineering
properties and characteristic of soil.
Black cotton soils are inorganic clays of medium to high
compressibility and form a major soil group in India
These soils under go severe volume changes
corresponding to changes in moisture content.
These soils cause damage to structures because if their
potential to undergo volumetric changes.

What are
Expansive Soils?
Vertisol Soils or Shrink Swell
Soils.
The Soil contracts due to its
clay minerals and the
structure of the clay allowing
water to be imbedded inbetween the clay layers
Process is reversible, and
causes contraction of the soil

Black cotton soils

PROPERTIES:
Expansive

soils (black cotton soil) are one of the examples of

tropical soils.
These are formed by weathering of rocks like basalts, traps,
granites and gneisses.
These soils occur chiefly in the states like AP, Gujarat, MP,
Maharashtra and Karnataka.
The colour of the soils ranges from dark brown to black.
These are very fine grained and argillaceous.
The pH value of these soils vary from 8.0to9.0 or higher

These soils essentially contain clay mineral montmorillonite.

These soils have high holding capacity but poor drainage.
These soils are very hard when dry and has a special feature is
that they are plastic and sticky during wet condition.
Black soils are sub divided into shallow black soils , medium
black soils, deep black soils.
Deeper black soils are referred to as black cotton soils since
cotton is the most important crop in these soils.
These soils under go severe volume changes corresponding to
changes in moisture content.
The soils are highly compressible and have low bearing
capacity.
These soils cause damage to structures because if their
potential to undergo volumetric changes.

Characteristics of expansive
soils
The expansive properties of soils depend on the grain size,
mineralogy and water content.
The 2:1 sheet smectite group include expansive
monmorillonite clay.

Montmorillonite swell and shrink at different moisture content.

PROBLEMS
Characteristic

expansive or swelling materials are

highly plastic clays and clay shales that often contain
colloidal clay minerals such as the montmorillonite.
Soils that exhibit greatest volume changes from dry
to wet state usually possess a considerable
percentage of montmorillonite.
Expansive soils have a tendency to change their
volume to a large extent, they cause heavy distress to
engineering constructions.

The lightweight structures are severely affected due to

high swelling pressure exerted by these soils.
They swell or increase in their volume when they
imbibe water and shrink or reduce in their volume on
evaporation of water.
Because of their alternate swelling and shrinkage,
they result in detrimental cracking of lightly loaded
civil engineering structures such as foundations,
retaining walls, pavements, airports, side walks,
canal beds and linings.

What can be done?

Test soil before building
If expansion is greater then 10 %, it is
critical
Remove soil
Mix soil with material that does not
expand
Keep consistent soil moisture
Have strong foundations in buildings
that can handle the changes in volume.

CONTROL OF EXPANSIVE SOILS

The problems associated with expansive soil are
related to bearing capacity and cracking, breaking up
of pavements, and various other building foundation
problems.
In order for expansive soil to cause foundation
problems, there must be fluctuations in the amount of
moisture contained in the foundation soils.
If the moisture content of the foundation soils can be
stabilized, foundation problems can often be avoided.

Mechanical, Physical and Chemical Alterations are made to

the soils.
This involves excavation of expansive soil and replacement
with non-expansive material, where the depth of active zone is
small and where a suitable replacement material is available.
Sand cushion method and Cohesive Non-Swelling (CNS)
layer method are very popular.
The problem of heave or uplift of foundations caused by
expansive soils is one of tension developed in the soil due to
swelling.
Hence, tension-resistant foundations are required for counter
acting the heave problem.

Various special
foundation
techniques such as
drilled piers, belled
piers and underreamed piles are all
tension-resistant
foundations.
GPA system is the
latest most successful
tension resistant
foundation system.

Used in crop production

Crops such as cotton, millets, pulses are

predominantly grown in black soils which are
having workability limitations.

To control soil loss and runoff .

The prevention of gulling, this effort has

concentrated on static measures and crop
residues to prevent erosion .

It enables the farmers on the black soil plains

to prevent unnecessary runoff, store soil
moisture and do away with fallow periods,
and for the first time makes double cropping
possible.

Any
QUERIES...????