Swell potential of clays from Solimões formation for pavements at Western Amazonia

ABSTRACT

The main geotechnical aspects of the southwestern Brazilian Amazon are the absence of rocky outcrops to provide gravel for road construction, the widespread occurrence of expansive soils along the road subgrade and high rainfall indices. The high volumetric changes of these expansive soils has been causing huge financial losses. Although most of the local soils are rich in 2:1 clay mineral, the understanding on how the behavior of these materials influences local pavements is still very limited. This paper asses 05 disturbed expansive clays samples of Rio Branco city. Physical, chemical and mineralogical characterizations are presented. The laboratory tests are then combined with traditional empirical correlations in order to evaluates the expansiveness of Rio Branco clays. The results showed the high swelling potential of the samples and the need of more studies that provides a clear understanding of these expansive clays.

Keywords
Expansive Soils; Amazon; Flexible Pavements