Physical and Mechanical Properties of Fine-Grained Soil in the Zhejiang-Fujian Coastal Area, China

Based on field and laboratory tests, physical and mechanical properties of 320 surface sediments and 12 gravity cores collected from the Zhejiang-Fujian coastal area were analyzed. The results showed that the fine-grained soil in this area was mainly composed of mud and muddy clay, with a small amount of clayey silt, silty clay and clay. They were generally characterized by high water content, high void ratio, high compressibility, high plasticity, and low shear strength. Furthermore, the factors that caused the poor physical and mechanical properties of the fine-grained soil have been analyzed for microscopic aspects (grain size distribution, mineral component, chemical composition, microstructure and macroscopic aspects (sediment source and hydrodynamic environment). The analytical results revealed that those microscopic and macroscopic factors had important relationships with the physical and mechanical properties of soil. If we can better understand those affecting factors in the forming process of th...