DSpace Institution DSpace Repository http://dspace.org Geotechnical Engineering Thesis 2020-03-11 EVALUATING SHRINK SWELL CHARACTERSTICS OF EXPANSIVE SOILS IN SOME AREAS OF AMHARA REGION Mekonen, Belaynesh http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/10267 Downloaded from DSpace Repository, DSpace Institution's institutional repository BAHIR DAR UNIVERSITY BAHIR DAR INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY SCHOOL OF RESEARCH AND GRADUATE STUDIES FACULTY OF CIVIL AND WATER RESOURCES ENGINEERING EVALUATING SHRINK SWELL CHARACTERSTICS OF EXPANSIVE SOILS IN SOME AREAS OF AMHARA REGION By Belaynesh Mekonen September 4,2019 Bahir Dar, Ethiopia EVALUATING SHRINK SWELL CHARACTERSTICS OF EXPANSIVE SOILS IN SOME AREAS OF AMHARA REGION By Belaynesh Mekonen A thesis submitted to the school of Research and Graduate Studies of Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Civil Engineering master of science in (Geotechnical Engineering) in water resources and civil engineering. Advisor Name: AddiszemenTeklay (PhD) Bahir Dar, Ethiopia September 4, 2019 i © 2019 BELAYNESH MEKONEN WELAHAWARIAT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and most of all, I would like to thanks almighty God for blessing and being with me in every step pass through. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my advisor, Dr.Addiszemen Teklay, Bahirdar University, Technology Faculty, for his valuable advice, support, encouragement throughout this work. His excellent guidance, thoughtful criticism, innovative ideas. I would like also to thank my sponsorship Bule hora university for giving me the opportunity to pursue post graduated study. iii To my father and mother iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and most of all, I would like to thanks almighty God for blessing and being with me in every step pass through. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my advisor, Dr.Addiszemen Teklay, Bahirdar University, Technology Faculty, for his valuable advice, support, encouragement throughout this work. His excellent guidance, thoughtful criticism, innovative ideas. I would like also to thank my sponsorship Bule hora university for giving me the opportunity to pursue post graduated study. v ABSTRACT The research is mainly determining the degree of expansiveness and shrinkage swell characteristics of soils in some areas of Amhara region. Accordingly, several data were taken from design office and from theses that were done before on different local places. Relations obtained from statistical analysis between the index properties, and swelling pressure with index properties of expansive soil. Equations were developed, by taking one or more of the soil property parameters (Liquid limit, plastic limit, shrinkage limit, moisture content, dry density and plastic index) in different combinations. Based on the experimental results obtained from different theses, correlations and empirical equations have been developed. The multiple regression Analysis indicates that there is a relationship between index properties and swelling characteristics of expansive soils in some areas of the region. The developed equations could be used for estimation of swelling characteristic of the soils in the study areas. The suggested equations used for the estimation of the swelling pressure of the areas are the equations with higher coefficient of estimation. Five equations have been selected to predict the swelling pressure of soils of the region. From such equations (Eqn. 3) more preferable than the others due to R2=0.999, MSE (error) =0.0037 In addition evaluation of one point liquid limit test has been checked for expansive soils of Amhara region. Accordingly, several data were taken from different theses that were done before. The relations obtained from statistical analysis have R2 of 0.83. Key words: Swelling pressure, degree of expansiveness, Predictive model, Correlations, some areas of Amhara region, soils vi TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION ........................... ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................ III ABSTRACT .................................................................................................. VI TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................... VII LIST OF ABBREVATIONS ......................................................................... X LIST OF SYMBOLS ................................................................................... XI LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................... XII LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................... XIII 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ 1 1.1 Background .............................................................................................................. 1 1.2 Problem Statement .................................................................................................. 2 1.3 Objective of the study.............................................................................................. 3 1.4.1General Objective ................................................................................................ 3 1.4.2 Specific objectives ........................................................................................... 3 1.4 Significance of the study ......................................................................................... 3 2 LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................... 4 2.1 General ..................................................................................................................... 4 2.2 Theoretical back ground of expansive soils .......................................................... 4 2.2.1 Definition of Expansive soils ............................................................................. 4 2.2.2 Formation of Expansive soils ............................................................................. 4 2.3 General Characteristics of Shrink Swell Soil........................................................ 5 vii 2.4 Factors Responsible for Shrink-Swell Phenomena in Expansive Soil ................ 6 2.5 Clay Mineralogy and Mechanism of Swelling ...................................................... 8 2.5.1 Clay Mineralogy and its Effect .......................................................................... 8 2.5.2 Clay Particles-Water Relations ........................................................................ 10 2.6 Identification and Classification of Expansive soils ........................................... 11 2.6.1Tests conducted for Identification ............................................................ 11 2.6.2 Factors responsible for Shrink Swell Behavior of soils ................................... 12 2.6.3 Determination of swelling properties ............................................................... 12 3 STUDY AREA .................................................................................... 14 3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 14 3.2 Climatic Characteristics of the Amhara region .................................................. 15 3.2.1 Annual and Seasonal Rainfall Variation .......................................................... 15 3.3 Geography of Amhara region .............................................................................. 15 3.4 Factors responsible for Formation Expansive Soil in the study area ............... 16 3.4.1Topography ....................................................................................................... 16 3.4.2 Drainage Characteristics of the Soils ............................................................... 16 3.4.3 Rain fall ............................................................................................................ 17 3.4.4 Temperature...................................................................................................... 17 3.5 Expansive soil testing practice.............................................................................. 17 3.6 Evaluation of Expansive soil Engineering Properties ........................................ 18 3.6.1Visual identification .......................................................................................... 18 3.6.3 Index Properties of Expansive Soils ................................................................. 18 3.7 Damages Caused by Expansive soils in the region ............................................. 21 4 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................. 24 4.1 GENERAL ............................................................................................................. 24 4.1.1 Methodology of study ...................................................................................... 24 4.2 Data Collection and Analysis................................................................................ 25 4.2.1 Test Results ...................................................................................................... 25 4.2.2 Characterization of Expansive soils in some areas of Amhara region by some parameters .............................................................................................................. 26 4.2.3 Classification of Expansive Soils ....................................................................