Authors : Chukuma, A. Vincent; Temple C. Nwofor; Chiedozie F. Ikebude

Volume/Issue : Volume 10 - 2025, Issue 7 - July

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/yc7a3rmy

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/25jul148

Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.

Note : Google Scholar may take 30 to 40 days to display the article.

Abstract : This study critically analyzed the behaviour, encompassing volumetric changes, deformation characteristics, and tensile strength properties, of two predominant problematic soils from the Niger Delta region: Marl and Chikoko soils, under the influence of multiple wetting and drying cycles. The experimental methodology employed the modified oedometer tests, systematically integrated within a three-level four-factor full factorial design framework. This robust experimental design allowed for a comprehensive investigation into the intricate effects of key environmental and geotechnical parameters. Specifically, the study meticulously examined the independent and interactive effects of varying moisture content (ranging from 14% to 16.5% for Chikoko soil and 47% to 51.5% for Marl soil), dry density (ranging from 1.70 to 1.96 g/cm3 for Chikoko soil and 1.00 to 1.28 g/cm3 for Marl soil), surcharge pressure (between 1 and 10 kN/m2), and the number of wetting and drying cycles (up to a specified maximum, usually 3-5 cycles in typical studies) on the chosen soil properties. The cyclic nature of wetting and drying amplifies these effects, highlighting the critical need to account for such environmental factors in the design of foundations, pavements, and other geotechnical structures in the Niger Delta. The research provides valuable insights into the mechanistic behaviour of these soils, offering a scientific basis for developing more resilient and sustainable infrastructure in the region.

Keywords : Marl Soil, Chikoko Soil, Niger Delta, Wetting and Drying Cycles, Volumetric Change, Deformation, Tensile Strength, Oedometer Test, Full Factorial Design, Expansive Soils.

References :

1. S. N. Abduljauwad, "Engineering behavior of compacted sabkha soil," “Journal of Geotechnical Engineering”, vol. 117, no. 12, pp. 1845–1863, 1991.
2. E. G. Akpokodje, "The engineering geology of the Niger Delta," “Engineering Geology”, vol. 24, no. 1–4, pp. 317–331, 1987.
3. A. S. Al-Homoud, A. A. Basma, and M. Husein, "Geotechnical characteristics of marl from northern Jordan," “Engineering Geology”, vol. 40, no. 3–4, pp. 213–224, 1995.
4. A. S. Al-Homoud, A. A. Basma, and M. Husein, "Performance of spread footings on collapsible marl soil," “Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering”, vol. 123, no. 7, pp. 675–684, 1997.
5. A. A. Al-Rawas and H. Goosen, “Expansive soils: Recent advances in characterization and treatment”. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2006.
6. C. Bardanis and A. Chatzidimitriou, "Effect of wetting-drying cycles on the mechanical properties of an expansive clay from Greece," “Engineering Geology”, vol. 123, no. 3, pp. 260–267, 2011.
7. A. A. Basma, A. S. Al-Homoud, and M. Husein, "Shear strength characteristics of compacted marl," “Geotechnical Testing Journal”, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 362–371, 1995.
8. K. Brady, M. Husein, and S. Rahman, "Tensile strength of compacted cohesive soils," “Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering”, vol. 135, no. 11, pp. 1690–1701, 2009.
9. F. H. Chen, “Foundations on expansive soils”. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1988.
10. R. W. Day, "Expansive clayey soils," in “Engineering Properties of Expansive Soils”, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1994, pp. 1–27.
11. T. B. Edil and I. B. Mochtar, "Settlement of organic soils," “Journal of Geotechnical Engineering”, vol. 115, no. 11, pp. 1591–1609, 1989.
12. J. O. Etu-Efeotor and E. G. Akpokodje, "Geotechnical properties of some Niger Delta soils and their implications on foundation design," “Engineering Geology”, vol. 28, no. 3–4, pp. 333–345, 1990.
13. D. G. Fredlund and H. Rahardjo, “Soil mechanics for unsaturated soils”. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1993.
14. R. E. Grim, “Clay mineralogy”. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1968.
15. W. G. Holtz and H. J. Gibbs, "Engineering properties of expansive clays," “Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers”, vol. 121, no. 1, pp. 641–671, 1956.
16. L. D. Jones and I. Jefferson, "Expansive soils," in “ICE Manual of Geotechnical Engineering, Vol. 1”, London: ICE Publishing, 2012, pp. 517–536.
17. J. M. Konrad and R. Ayad, "A new test procedure for measuring the tensile strength of cohesive soils," “Canadian Geotechnical Journal”, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 585–592, 1997.
18. L. Li and C. Zhao, "Cumulative deformation of compacted expansive soils under cyclic wetting and drying," “Engineering Geology”, vol. 119, no. 3–4, pp. 163–170, 2011.
19. A. Mesida, "Geotechnical characteristics of residual soils in Nigeria," “Engineering Geology”, vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 173–181, 1989.
20. C. J. Miller and N. Yesiller, "Impact of desiccation on compacted clay liners," “Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering”, vol. 128, no. 7, pp. 579–585, 2002.
21. J. K. Mitchell, “Fundamentals of soil behavior”. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1993.
22. J. K. Mitchell and K. Soga, “Fundamentals of soil behavior”, 3rd ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2005.
23. D. C. Montgomery, “Design and analysis of experiments”, 9th ed. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2017.
24. H. H. Nahlawi and D. R. Katti, "Tensile strength of expansive clays," “Engineering Geology”, vol. 59, no. 3–4, pp. 213–225, 2001.
25. J. D. Nelson and D. J. Miller, “Expansive soils: Problems and practice in foundation and pavement engineering”. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1992.
26. S. A. Ola, "Geotechnical properties of a black cotton soil," “Géotechnique”, vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 263–269, 1974.
27. K. J. Osinubi, "Influence of compactive efforts on permeability of compacted lateritic soils," “Journal of Transportation Engineering”, vol. 125, no. 2, pp. 127–133, 1999.
28. K. J. Osinubi and V. Y. Katte, "Effect of compaction on the compressibility of a black cotton soil," “Nigerian Journal of Engineering Management”, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 1–10, 1997.
29. K. J. Osinubi, P. Yohanna, and A. A. Adejumo, "Compressibility of black cotton soil treated with rice husk ash," “Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering”, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 184–190, 2009.
30. A. L. A. Perera, H. Konietzky, and J. D. Frost, "Numerical simulation of desiccation cracking in compacted clays," “Geotechnical & Geological Engineering”, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 129–145, 2005.
31. J. T. Pidgeon, "Swelling and shrinkage of expansive clays," in “Proc. 12th International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering”, Rotterdam: Balkema, vol. 1, pp. 295–298, 1989.
32. H. B. Seed, R. J. Woodward, and R. Lundgren, "Prediction of swelling potential for compacted clays," “Journal of the Soil Mechanics and Foundations Division”, vol. 88, no. SM3, pp. 53–88, 1962.
33. M. Sharma and S. P. Singh, "Effect of moisture content on the shear strength of compacted granular soils," “Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering”, vol. 133, no. 12, pp. 1539–1547, 2007.
34. A. Sridharan and Y. Gurtug, "The swelling behaviour of compacted expansive clays," “Engineering Geology”, vol. 72, no. 1–2, pp. 9–18, 2004.
35. A. Sridharan and M. S. Jayadeva, "Volume change behaviour of montmorillonite-rich clays," “Géotechnique”, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 317–324, 1982.
36. A. Sridharan and H. B. Nagaraj, "Specific surface and consolidation behavior of soils," “Geotechnical Engineering”, vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 65–71, 2005.
37. A. Sridharan and S. M. Rao, "Characterization of expansive soils," “Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering”, vol. 127, no. 8, pp. 705–708, 2001.
38. C. Tang, B. Shi, C. Liu, L. Gao, and H. I. Inyang, "Desiccation cracking of soils: A review," “Engineering Geology”, vol. 184, pp. 118–132, 2015.
39. K. Terzaghi, “Theoretical soil mechanics”. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1943.
40. D. H. Van der Merwe, "The prediction of heave from the plasticity index," “The Civil Engineer in South Africa”, vol. 6, no. 6, pp. 103–107, 1964.
41. S. K. Vanapalli, D. G. Fredlund, and D. E. Pufahl, "The influence of matric suction on the shear strength of unsaturated soils," “Canadian Geotechnical Journal”, vol. 33, no. 6, pp. 940–947, 1996.
42. P. Voottipruex and P. Jamsawang, "Shear strength behavior of compacted expansive clay under cyclic wetting-drying conditions," “Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering”, vol. 140, no. 11, 04014068, 2014.
43. N. Yesiller, C. Miller, G. Inci, and K. Yaldo, "Desiccation and cracking behaviour of three compacted landfill liner soils," “Engineering Geology”, vol. 57, no. 1–2, pp. 105–121, 2000.
44. S. Yoshida and K. Adachi, "Numerical analysis of crack generation in saturated deformable soil under row-planted vegetation," “Geoderma”, vol. 120, no. 1–2, pp. 63–74, 2004.
45. Y. Yoshimi and T. Kishida, "A ring torsion apparatus for evaluating friction between soil and metal surfaces," “Geotechnical Testing Journal”, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 145–152, 1981.
46. B. Zhang, Q. Li, H. Yuan, and X. Sun, "Tensile fracture characteristics of compacted soils under uniaxial tension," “Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering”, vol. 27, no. 10, 04015013, 2015.
47. Z. Zhang, H. Zhou, Q. Zhao, H. Lin, and X. Peng, "Characteristics of cracks in two paddy soils and their impacts on preferential flow," “Geoderma”, vol. 228–229, pp. 1–10, 2014.