Bhavya K, Nagaraj H B
Department of Civil Engineering, B.M.S College of Engineering, Bangalore, Karnataka, 560 019, India.
Sci Rep. 2025 May 2;15(1):15459. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-98729-y.
Plasticity properties of fine-grained soils in the form of Atterberg limits are very important inferential properties used for classification and preliminary qualitative assessment of their suitability for any geotechnical engineering applications. Through extensive research, it is well understood that clay mineralogy and soil structure are the main factors that control the Atterberg limits of soils. To further the understanding of the factors influencing the Atterberg limit of soils at the macro level with an insight at the micro level through SEM studies, the present study was taken up using various soil mixtures prepared with extreme clay minerals (Bentonite and Kaolinite), fine sand, and silt (extracted from a natural soil). From the experimental results reported herein, the changes observed in the Atterberg limits as influenced by the variation in the composition of the fractions in the clay-sand-silt mixture may be due to the influence of clay mineral type and the clay structure which are supported by the SEM images.
以阿特贝格界限形式表示的细粒土的可塑性特性是用于对其在任何岩土工程应用中的适用性进行分类和初步定性评估的非常重要的推断特性。通过广泛的研究，人们清楚地认识到粘土矿物学和土壤结构是控制土壤阿特贝格界限的主要因素。为了通过扫描电子显微镜（SEM）研究在宏观层面上进一步理解影响土壤阿特贝格界限的因素，并在微观层面上有深入了解，本研究使用了由极端粘土矿物（膨润土和高岭土）、细砂和粉砂（从天然土壤中提取）制备的各种土壤混合物。从本文报道的实验结果来看，粘土 - 砂 - 粉砂混合物中各组分组成变化所导致的阿特贝格界限的变化，可能是由于粘土矿物类型和粘土结构的影响，扫描电子显微镜图像支持了这一点。
