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Procedia Engineering 189 (2017) 252 – 257

Transportation Geotechnics and Geoecology, TGG 2017, 17-19 May 2017, Saint Petersburg,
Russia

Assessment of varve clays sensitivity to natural structure

disturbance
Klemyatsionok P.L.a, Kolmogorova S.S.a, Kolmogorov S.Gb *
a
Emperor Alexander I State Transport University, 9 Moskovsky ave., St. Petersburg, 190031, Russia
b
Saint-Petersburg State Agrarian University, 2, sh. Petersburg, Pushkin, Saint-Petersburg, 196601, Russia

Abstract

The article deals with the problem of sensitivity of varve clays to disturbance of natural structure. Soil sensitivity can be
determined by any method, enabling to make soil tests in the conditions of natural and disturbed structure. The testing method,
the kind of the applied impact and the kind of deformations caused by this impact will influence assessment of sensitivity.
While assessing clay soils sensitivity the case of varve clays shows the necessity to use different methods. Applied to a number
of tests the article introduces the term of sensitivity range for the soil of a particular genetic type.
© 2017
© 2017TheTheAuthors.
Authors. Published
Published by Elsevier
by Elsevier Ltd. Ltd.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International conference on Transportation Geotechnics and
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Geoecology.
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International conference on Transportation Geotechnics and Geoecology

Keywords: sensitivity; varve clays; range sensitivity

Introduction

Nowadays extensive information on physical-mechanical properties of soils has been accumulated. The relevant
task is the analysis and generalization of available data in two directions:
- applied to different types of soils in terms of genesis, composition and structural-textural features;
- applied to various methods of testing.

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +7-921-312-25-74.

E-mail address: Kolmogorovsg@list.ru

1877-7058 © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International conference on Transportation Geotechnics and Geoecology
doi:10.1016/j.proeng.2017.05.040
 P.L. Klemyatsionok et al. / Procedia Engineering 189 (2017) 252 – 257 253

The rational methods should be based on the correlation of these two directions. And these methods should
expand the possibility of considering genesis and soil natural characteristics in the analysis of the results of their
tests. This will ensure the accuracy of the determined values.
Features of varve clays are non-compactness, soil cohesion due to water-colloidal structural bonds and sensitivity
to disturbance of natural structure [1-5]. The testing method, the kind of the applied impact and the kind of
deformations caused by this impact will influence assessment of sensitivity. Following various test results the paper
analyzes varve clays sensitivity to disturbance of natural structure.

Main part

In the work [4] the effect of disturbance of a structure under compression is given in two forms:
Compressibility coefficient and modules of varve clay settlement with initial soil porosity coefficient for
undisturbed and disturbed structure are accordingly 1,108 and 1,045 at a pressure of 0....0,2 MPa. According to these
data the sensitivity is Stm=StMo=2,7.
Compression curves of samples of varve loam and varve clays (figures 1a, 1b). Data analysis leads to sensitivity
soil values: for varve loam the sensitivity StH is 3,2…1,7, for varve clay the sensitivity StH is 2,3….2,2. Soil
sensitivity naturally decreases with pressure increase.
Comparing varve clays compression curves of undisturbed and disturbed structure at W=50% and e=1,46 was
first done by S. A. Rosa in 1950. According to him at pressure of 0,1 MPa the sensitivity S tH is 4,6.
Therefore, under compression sensitivity interval can be taken S tmo= StH=2,7….5.
The results of direct shear [4] are presented in Fig 2. It shows that strength in undisturbed and disturbed structure
can be compared only for the interval of water content W=36.....42%. And in the specified interval disturbed
structure has φd= 0. The results of calculations are shown in table 1.

Table 1. Results.
Water Cohesion of Cohesion of Sensitivity Sensitivity Friction Sensitivity
content tgφu undisturbed disturbed Stgψ StС angle φuº Stσ
soil Cu, MPa soil
W, % Cd, MPa
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
36 0,46 0,017 0,0065 7,3 2,6 14 3,3
38 0,38 0,016 0,0045 8,8 3,4 12 4,2
40 0,35 0,015 0,0032 11,4 4,7 10 5,6
42 0,33 0,014 0,0025 13,8 5,6 9 6,6

Table 1 shows the increase in sensitivity by both measures with increasing of water content. At the same time it
is likely to have overestimation of the calculated sensitivity values by tangent of shear angle S tgψ which is indicated
by high values of angle of internal friction in undisturbed structure φ u=18…25º. It can be assumed that in the
experiments under taken pressures significant soil compaction took place. This is confirmed by the following data:
According to regional construction norms TSN 50-302-2004 SPb (Fig. E. 1 Application) when W=38%, J L=1,2
the resulting values are φu=11º, сu=0,01 MPa and consequently reduction of sensitivity:
Stg\ 0,1 ˜ 0,19  0,01 0,0045 6,4  8,8
According to recommendation of NIIOSP [6], developed on the basis of quick shear of unconsolidated samples
of varve clays when JL=1,2 and e=1,15 the resulting values are φu=12,5º and сu=0,005 MPa, which gives Stgψ = 6,0.
Therefore, the obtained in tab. 1 values Stgψ must be reduced by 30%, so the interval of their change is 5,1.....9,7
on previous values Stс (column 6 of tab.1).
LetԢs study given in [4] the results of undisturbed and disturbed samples parallel testing using methods of uniaxial
compression, cone Boychenko and direct shear at P=0. The data are summarized in table. 2. The Numerator specifies
experimental values for undisturbed structure, and the Denominator – for disturbed structure (columns 3-5).
Columns 6, 7 show the assessment of sensitivity.
254 P.L. Klemyatsionok et al. / Procedia Engineering 189 (2017) 252 – 257

Table 2. Calculation results.

Unconfined Cone- Shear stress Sensitivity Sensitivity by
No. compressive penetration by uniaxial cone
Soil strength depth τ when
samples compression Boychenko
σс, kPa h, cm Р=0, kPa Stσ StR

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3 -\12 0,46/1,15 45/7 - 6,3
Varve clay 4 42/5 0,78/1,74 18/6 8,4 4,9
5 34/3 0,84/2,20 16/3 11,3 6,8
Varve loam 6 62/5 0,64/1,16 -/4 12,4 3,3

The overstatement of values Stσ is likely to occur due the well-known difficulties of testing soft soils observed in
[4]. There may be errors in overestimation of soil of undisturbed structure and underestimation of soil of disturbed
structure. The possibility of such error is shown in Fig.3, based on the table.2: if we take с=τр=0 and с=σc/2, we can
see that the experimental points for soils of disturbed structure lie below the bisector of the coordinate angle, and for
the undisturbed structure – above it.
Values by the formula (1) calculated using the values φu=9…14º for the undisturbed soil are given in column 8 of
the table.1; the values of Stc are adopted according to column 6 of the same table.

StV Stcctg45  Mu 2 (1)

Therefore, possible range of uniaxial compression sensitivity will be S tσ =4...7.

Cone sensitivity (Table 2) is changing in 3,3…6,8, doing 5,3 on average. It is expected that with large volumes of
testing StR change interval will expand. Fig.4 shows the results of the same test in LenTISIZ (2004.). At the top the
points of test in coordinates "water content - cone-penetration depth". In the lower quadrant there are values
hd hu StR . Dashed lines are average values h =0,84; h =2,0 cm и S =5,7. It should be noticed that for the two
d u tR
tested soils, the dependence of cone-penetration depth on water content is not detected. This may be related to tests
at one increment of load.
In the end, let`s accept the boundaries of cone sensitivity interval as 3,5…8.

Conclusions

Applied to a number of tests the article introduces the term of sensitivity range for the soil of a particular genetic
type. The range of sensitivity of varve clay is shown in Fig. 5. Based on average values there is curve with direct
shear resistance maximum (or tgψр=1) and for compression minimum. The same figure shows the dependence for
Yoldian clays [7] (dashed curve). The most significant feature of Yoldian clays is compression maximum. Possible
reason of sharp difference between curves by compression value is the role of cohesive properties of soil, mostly
shown with Yoldian clays. Other differences are not fundamental in nature and can be explained by limitations of the
experimental material.
 P.L. Klemyatsionok et al. / Procedia Engineering 189 (2017) 252 – 257 255

Fig. 1. Compression curves by [4]: (а) - varve loam; (b) - varve clay; 1- undisturbed structure; 2 - disturbed structure.

Fig. 2. The dependence of the coefficient of internal friction tgφ (a) and cohesion C (b) from dampness of varve clay by [4]: 1- plane of shear is
perpendicular to plane of stratification; 2 - the same, parallel; 3- soil of disturbed structure.
256 P.L. Klemyatsionok et al. / Procedia Engineering 189 (2017) 252 – 257

Fig. 3. To compare approximations assessments of cohesion.

Fig. 4. Test results cone Boychenko: (а) - cone-penetration depth for disturbed and disturbed structure of the soil; (b) – to assess the sensitivity.
 P.L. Klemyatsionok et al. / Procedia Engineering 189 (2017) 252 – 257 257

Fig. 5. Sensitivity of varve clays by different methods: 1- unconfined compression; 2 – cone; 3 –compression; 4 – direct shear, tgψ; 5 – direct
shear, cohesion.

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