Crushability and compressibility of carbonate and siliceous sands in the one-dimensional oedometer test

Carbonate sediments are originated from the skeletal remains of marine organisms, which are abundantly situated at the tropical and petrochemical reservoir in Australia, India, the North Sea coasts, and the Persian Gulf. The different behavior of carbonate remains in comparison to siliceous soils has attracted attention among researchers. Crushability is a significant feature of carbonate sands which leads to changes in particle size distribution at high pressures and causes enormous damage to structures. This study aims to evaluate the compressibility of Hormuz Island carbonate sand and compare it to the Chamkhaleh Beach siliceous sand through one-dimensional compression tests in a pneumatic oedometer apparatus. Experiments were subjected to overburden pressures up to 2 MPa, and grain crushing was measured after each experiment. Results illustrated that particle crushing in the Hormuz Island sand impacted its compressibility and led to an abrupt increase in strain and settlement.