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Regression Models to Estimate Critical Porosity of Soils from Basic Soil Properties Based on Percolation Theory

Publication ,  Journal Article
Boadu, FK
Published in: Geotechnical and Geological Engineering
April 1, 2018

The rigidity of geo-materials (e.g., soils and sediments) reduce significantly, as their porosity increases to a critical value, the critical porosity. Knowledge of critical porosity can be useful in assessing the deformational characteristics of these materials. Estimation of critical porosity from experiments can be challenging especially at low effective stress conditions. In this work an effort is made to estimate this characteristic porosity from the basic soil properties (textural and plastic properties) inherited from the parent rock using percolation theory. Uniaxial compression experiments were performed in a low-stress oedometer (up to 2.5 MPa) on field soil samples to estimate their percolation parameters, the critical porosity and critical exponent from their textures based on percolation theory. The textural properties including fines content, mean grain size, the fractal dimensions and the sand to clay ratio. Regression models were developed to predict the critical porosities from soil textural properties that significantly explained in the range 85–90% of the variability in the model. In addition, the relations between the consistency limits of the soils and their critical porosities were investigated and the results indicate that the liquid limit, plastic limit, plasticity index and clay content explained 82–85% of the variability with critical porosity. Textural properties explained 64–79% of variability with the critical exponent, while the consistency limits explained 65–75% of the variability and with clay content explaining 80% of the variability. The provided prediction models may be useful in providing first-hand information about the critical porosity of soils in the field environment.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Geotechnical and Geological Engineering

DOI

EISSN

1573-1529

ISSN

0960-3182

Publication Date

April 1, 2018

Volume

36

Issue

2

Start / End Page

1207 / 1216

Related Subject Headings

  • Geological & Geomatics Engineering
  • 4019 Resources engineering and extractive metallurgy
  • 4005 Civil engineering
  • 0905 Civil Engineering
 

Citation

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Boadu, F. K. (2018). Regression Models to Estimate Critical Porosity of Soils from Basic Soil Properties Based on Percolation Theory. Geotechnical and Geological Engineering, 36(2), 1207–1216. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-017-0387-5
Boadu, F. K. “Regression Models to Estimate Critical Porosity of Soils from Basic Soil Properties Based on Percolation Theory.” Geotechnical and Geological Engineering 36, no. 2 (April 1, 2018): 1207–16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-017-0387-5.
Boadu FK. Regression Models to Estimate Critical Porosity of Soils from Basic Soil Properties Based on Percolation Theory. Geotechnical and Geological Engineering. 2018 Apr 1;36(2):1207–16.
Boadu, F. K. “Regression Models to Estimate Critical Porosity of Soils from Basic Soil Properties Based on Percolation Theory.” Geotechnical and Geological Engineering, vol. 36, no. 2, Apr. 2018, pp. 1207–16. Scopus, doi:10.1007/s10706-017-0387-5.
Boadu FK. Regression Models to Estimate Critical Porosity of Soils from Basic Soil Properties Based on Percolation Theory. Geotechnical and Geological Engineering. 2018 Apr 1;36(2):1207–1216.
Journal cover image

Published In

Geotechnical and Geological Engineering

DOI

EISSN

1573-1529

ISSN

0960-3182

Publication Date

April 1, 2018

Volume

36

Issue

2

Start / End Page

1207 / 1216

Related Subject Headings

  • Geological & Geomatics Engineering
  • 4019 Resources engineering and extractive metallurgy
  • 4005 Civil engineering
  • 0905 Civil Engineering