STRUCTURAL FEATURES OF SOIL

The engineering properties of soil such as shear strength, compressibility and permeability, determined from laboratory samples, are influenced by features that can cause scatter in results so that the data does not reflect in-situ conditions. Soil fabric can be divided into micro- and macro-structural features. Micro-fabric is usually significant in the behaviour of normally consolidated or recent sediments and is controlled by the chemical environment of deposition. Macro-structure is more significant in over-consolidated deposits. A qualitative evaluation of structural features from soil samples requires a simple systematic procedure. A procedural system has been developed for recording soil structure and other features by completing a sample description sheet. The sheet is in the development stage and is used mainly for the description of offshore soil samples. (TRRL)