This thesis first attempts to characterize amorphous material with respect to its performance in the marine soils from an engineering viewpoint, by selecting and testing some marine soils sampled in East Canada. The second concern of this study is to develop a better understanding of particle interaction between clay and amorphous material complexes and the mechanism of soil performance. / Soil properties and behavior are not only controlled by the quantity, but also by the composition or type of amorphous materials. The mass ratio, defined as Fe$ sb2$O$ sb3$/(Fe$ sb2$O$ sb3$ + SiO$ sb2$) in units of mass, can be used as a parameter to evaluate the effect of amorphous composition. By changing the mass ratio, which in effect changes the composition, soil properties/behavior can be altered. Shear strength, consistency limits and suction all increase with an increase in amorphous content, but vary with mass ratio. Maximum shear strength and minimum consistency limits and suction are observed for soils with amorphous material composed at a critical mass ratio of 0.40. Soil properties are significantly related to the soil's acidity/alkalinity (pH), due directly to the pH dependency of surface charges of amorphous solid particles. / The basic mechanism that governs the soil's performance arises primarily from the very active surface characteristics, i.e. the large surface area and high surface charge, of the amorphous material complex. The roles played by this special soil constituent can be generalized in two functions: water holding capacity and bonding action. While the large surface area necessitates a rise in the soil's water holding capability, the high surface charge enhances the bonding action in-between clay particles. Significant cation bridging and hydrogen bonding, and strong electro-static attractive force established in the silica-iron amorphous complex, especially at the mass ratio 0.40, contribute to the high shear strength observed in the soil. / The laboratory-prepared soil samples showed a good behavioral simulation to the natural marine soils in East Canada and, hence, a much clearer picture for understanding the sensitivity of such soils as Quebec Champlain Sea clays, as well as the general soil problems related to the roles played by the amorphous materials, is achieved. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.74567 |
| Date | January 1990 |
| Creators | Wang, Bing-wu. |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Doctor of Philosophy (Department of Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001170241, proquestno: AAINN66487, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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