Engineering Aspects of Soil Erosion, Dispersive Clays and Loess

This collection of papers deals with selected engineering aspects of soil erosion, dispersive clays and loess. Two types of erosion are considered -surface and subsurface (piping) with respect to both dispersive and non-dispersive soils. Two papers deal with laboratory studies, while the remainder are case studies. Degrees of erosion are related to soil type, mineralogy, gradation and compacted condition. Remedial measures involve the mixing of selected chemicals, such as alum, gypsum, and lime, with the dispersive clays. Evaluations of the success of such stabilization are visual and qualitative. Four papers address the fabric of loess and its relation to the response of in situ loess. The technique of mercury intrusion porosimetry is applied to the interpretation of pore structure. Response of loess to dynamic loading is examined as are the difficulties of determining in situ unit weights. A final paper addresses the state-of-practice for the empirical proportioning of loess slopes.