Investigation of shear stress behaviour of compacted Kaolin clay mixed with salt solution

Abstract

Shear stress performance has been considered as a significant feature of the soil properties, for it is a major cause of construction failure. The collapse of the building occurs when the stress applied on the soil exceed the shear strength (shear stress performance) of the soil. As a key component of the Brisbane soil, which has been utilised widely as the base soil material in a construction project located in Port of Brisbane, the kaolin clay, however, has attracted special attention due to its high proportion in the Brisbane soil. This thesis intends to mitigate the possible construction failure risk due to shear strength by proffering a legitimate method to improve the shear strength of the kaolin clay. The study investigates the shear stress performance of the kaolin clay mixed with salt solution processed by compaction method, the result of which, will be further compared with the shear strength outcomes of the kaolin clay possessed by other three methods (the shrinkage, the consolidation, and the compaction with soil mixed with fresh water) which were generated by Direct Shear Test. Results suggest that the soil mixed with fresh water processed by the compaction method generates the most satisfying outcome in shear stress performance, which may can be further applied to enhance the construction stability in the Port of Brisbane.