Some aspects of the behaviour of compacted soils along wetting paths

Abstract

Wetting and oedometric loading tests have been performed on several clayey compacted soils. The results highlight the influence of compaction water content and compaction stress on wetting paths. Comparing the changes in degree of saturation induced by mechanical loading and hydraulic loading (wetting path under null stress), it may be noticed that the oedometric path has an opposite curve of that of the wetting path, due to the fact that the void ratio decreases under constant water content when the stress is increased in one case (compression) and increases with water content in the other (swelling).