The physical effects of an intra-aggregate structure on soil shrinkage

Abstract

Clay and soil containing it have shrinkage curves that are qualitatively different in shape. The objective of this work is to qualitatively show with maximum simplicity, how a clay shrinkage curve turns into a soil shrinkage curve. Because of the crack volume the measured shrinkage curve is not the single-valued feature of a soil. We use a concept of the reference shrinkage curve that is only stipulated by soil shrinkage without cracking, single-valued, and qualitatively similar to an observed shrinkage curve. We also use new concepts of an intra-aggregate soil structure: (i) a rigid superficial layer of aggregates that loses water during shrinkage; and (ii) lacunar pores (micro-cracks) inside an intra-aggregate clay that change in volume during shrinkage. Then, through a series of consecutive steps, illustrating each step by a separate graphic presentation, we move from a clay shrinkage curve to a soil shrinkage curve with predicted qualitative features that coincide with those experimentally observed in numerous soil shrinkage publications. We thereby demonstrate the qualitative physical impact of the intra-aggregate structure on soil shrinkage.