Shrinkage of clay soils - statistical correlation with other soil properties

The hypothesis that the shrinkage of soils is greater when expansible minerals are dominant was tested with 63 soils containing between 40 and 64% clay. Shrinkage between pF 2 and 4 (0.1 and 10 bar) correlated significantly with the expansible mineral content (measured by ethylene glycol retention) for remoulded but not for dried and rewetted specimens. Shrinkage between pF 4 and 6 (10 and 103 bar) was strongly correlated with the expansible mineral content for both kinds of specimens. The physical significance of the results is discussed, and it is concluded that interlamellar shrinkage is not the principal component of bulk shrinkage. RESP-6998