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Lithomorphic stresses and cleavage of loess |
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| Authors: | RL Handy EG Ferguson |
| Institution: | aDepartment of Civil and Construction Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa ,USA bGeoSystems Engineering, Inc., 7856 Barton, Lenexa, KS 66214,USA |
| Abstract: | Lateral stresses existing in soil deposits are important clues to recent stress history because they tend to remain “locked in” following adjustments in the overburden load: Thus a high lateral stress is partly retained following a reduction in vertical stress, as by glacial melting or erosion. Conversely, during loess deposition a low lateral stress should be retained if the soil structure is preserved under increasing vertical stress. This has not previously been verified in the field because of the difficulty of measuring lateral stresses in situ in an hydrocollapsible material. Tests were conducted at two sites in Missouri river valley loess using theKo Stepped Blade, which uses data extrapolation to give stress on a zero thickness blade. In basal loess where the moisture content was at or above the liquid limit,Ko = 1.0 ± 0.02. In the upper to middle loess zoneKo is as low as 0.2 to 0.4, lower than the values of 0.4 to 0.5 that would be expected if the soil were normally consolidated. Near the ground surface, lateral stresses are higher soKo > 1, attributed to post-depositional weathering and the presence of smectite clay minerals. The vertical sequence of lateral stress from high to low to high again should contribute a tension-induced cleavage if lateral confinement is removed by excavation or erosion. This stress condition is most pronounced in loess close to its source, where the potential tension zone was found to extend to a depth of about 7 m compared to 4 m at the other site. Loess cleavage appears to result from stress relief and is not a unique directional property of this material. |
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