Collapse, Swell, Shrinkage,

and Slaking Tests

Geotechnical Engineering Laboratory 6
********

Warning - these experiments require taking readings over several days

********

1. General Notes
All oedometer equipment must be cleaned and returned dry to staging area after completion of test.
All stations, benches, and tables must be cleaned before your group leaves the lab.
Please clean all glassware and graduated cylinders.
Do not put soils or muddy water in sinks.
This is a busy laboratory session. Everyone in each group must participate fully for these tests to
be successful. Your group will need to perform several experiments simultaneously. When you
have some free time during the experiment you are conducting, check on the other experiments to
observe what the other members of your group are doing and the general behavior of the soil under
the conditions for which it is being tested. Observing all four types of test are important to your
understanding the behavior and response of collapsible and expansive soils.

2. Collapse
2.1
2.2
2.2.1
2.2.2
2.2.3
2.2.4
2.2.5
2.3
2.3.1
2.3.2
2.3.3
2.3.4
2.4
2.4.1
2.4.2
2.4.3

Enter names onto data sheet (attached).

Preparatory work
Find the moist soil in the ring inside the plastic bag. This is the same soil on which the
hydrometer tests in Laboratory #2 were conducted.
Your soil sample has been prepared and placed in the ring by the TA. Target Dry mass
density is 1.10 g/cm3. Target water content is 8%.
Weigh the ring and soil, record its weight. Ring is approximately 2.50 in. in diameter
by 1.00-in. tall
Place ring in containment chamber with a porous stone above and a porous stone below
the specimen.
Assemble the containment chamber and tighten screws.
Place containment chamber on odeometer.
Put the load cap on the top porous stone.
Place load screw into cap.
Make sure load arm is level and base screw is supporting the arm.
Take Zero Reading and record this value on the Data Sheet.
First Load
Place 2 tsf load on the loading arm. Plates for the load are on the floor.
Undo the support screw to release the arm and apply the load.
Allow the specimen to compress under load for 30-90 min, or until dial stops moving.

2007-2012 Bret N. Lingwall, Evert C. Lawton

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Collapse, Swell, Shrinkage, and Slaking Tests

2.5
2.5.1
2.5.2
2.5.3
2.5.4
2.6
2.6.1
2.6.2
2.6.3
2.6.4
2.6.5
2.6.6
2.6.7
2.6.8

3.0

Adding Water
Take initial reading after initial loading and 30-90 min have elapsed or dial has stopped
moving. Obtain approval from TA if less than 30 min have elapsed.
Add distilled water to the top of the containment chamber.
Begin taking readings at the times listed on the data sheet. Use a stopwatch to keep
time.
Take all readings listed (as best you can). The precision of the dial gauge measuring
the vertical displacement of the soil specimen is 0.0001 (1/10,000) in. per dial division.
Clean up
After last reading, unload specimen.
Remove from containment cell.
Weigh a clean, empty moisture tin. If the tin is dirty, clean and dry it thoroughly before
using.
Place entire soil specimen into tin taking care not to lose or miss any soil, weigh the tin
plus wet soil, and place it in the oven.
Dry the tin in the oven for 24 hr.
Remove tin from oven, weigh, and record.
Weigh the empty ring and measure its internal dimensions using calipers.
Dry all metal parts of the cell with a paper towel.

Constrained Swell and Shrinkage

3.1
3.2

3.3

3.4

3.5

Enter names onto data sheet (attached).

Preparatory work
3.2.1 Find the moist soil in the ring inside the plastic bag. This soil is a mixture of 70%
Kaolinite and 30% Bentonite, by weight.
3.2.2 Your soil sample has been prepared and placed in the ring by the TA. Target dry
density is 1.50 g/cm3. Target water content is 25%.
3.2.3 Weigh the ring and soil, record its weight.
3.2.4 Place ring in containment chamber with a porous stone above and a porous stone
below the specimen.
3.2.5 Assemble the containment cell and tighten screws.
Place containment cell on odeometer.
3.3.1 Put the load cap on the top porous stone.
3.3.2 Place load screw into cap.
3.3.3 Make sure load arm is level and base screw is supporting the arm.
3.3.4 Take Zero Reading and record it on the Data Sheet.
Apply Load
3.4.1 Place tsf load on the loading arm. Plates for the load are on the floor.
3.4.2 Lower the load screw to release the support and apply load to the specimen.
3.4.3 Allow the specimen to compress under the load for 30 min.
Adding Water
3.5.1 Take reading after 30 min have elapsed from the time the load was first placed on
the loading arm.
3.5.2 Add water to the top of the containment cell.
3.5.3 Taking readings at the elapsed time intervals listed on the data sheet. Use a
stopwatch to keep time.

2007-2012 Bret N. Lingwall, Evert C. Lawton

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Collapse, Swell, Shrinkage, and Slaking Tests

3.5.4

3.6

4.0

Slaking
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5

5.0

Take all readings listed (as best you can). The precision of the dial gauge
measuring the vertical displacement of the soil specimen is 0.0001 (1/10,000) in.
per dial division.
Shrinkage
3.6.1 After the last reading for the swelling portion of the test, unload the specimen.
3.6.2 Weigh a piece of aluminum foil that is somewhat larger than the outer dimensions
of the specimen ring. Place this piece of foil on the table.
3.6.3 Being careful not to disturb the soil specimen, remove the ring containing the
specimen from the containment cell.
3.6.4 Carefully remove the intact soil specimen from the ring without damaging the
specimen or losing any soil. Place the specimen on the piece of foil and weigh the
foil plus specimen. Write your Group No. and date of the lab on the foil using
permanent black marker so you can distinguish your specimen from others.
3.6.5 Carefully measure the diameter and height of the wet specimen using calipers.
Record these values.
3.6.6 Place the foil plus soil specimen into the oven.
3.6.7 Dry in the oven for 24 hr
3.6.8 Remove the foil plus specimen from the oven and place it on the table. Carefully
measure the diameter and height of the dry specimen using calipers. Record these
values.
3.6.9 Weigh the foil plus specimen and record this value.
3.6.10 Weigh the empty ring, and then measure its internal dimensions using calipers.
Place the specimen in the location designated by the TA(s).
3.6.11 Dry all metal parts from cell with a paper towel.

Obtain two balls of bentonite and two balls of kaolinite that have been dried.
Make initial observations of the two types of balls and note any differences between the
two types. Record these observations.
Place these balls in a beaker with just enough distilled water to cover the balls.
Make observations about how the balls change. Make observations at 1 min, 5 min,
15 min, 30 min, 1 hr, 2 hr, 24 hr, and 48 hr.
Place the specimen in the location designated by the TA(s).

Free swell
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4

5.5
5.6

Obtain 100 g of dry bentonite.

Place the dry bentonite in a graduated cylinder. Read the volume and record.
Place just enough distilled water to cover in the cylinder.
Make observations about how the soil volume changes. Take and record readings of the
volume of the bentonite at elapsed times of 1 min, 5 min, 15 min, 30 min, 1 hr, 2 hr, 24 hr,
and 48 hr.
Add water as needed to keep the water level 10 to 50 ml above the soil level.
Place the specimen in the location designated by the TA(s).

2007-2012 Bret N. Lingwall, Evert C. Lawton

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Collapse, Swell, Shrinkage, and Slaking Tests

6.0

Calculations
Calculate the total unit weight of the collapse and swell specimens at the beginning and end of
the tests. (You get the final height by subtracting your collapse/swell readings from the initial
height of the specimen, which is the height of the ring).
Construct a phase diagram for your collapse and swell specimens before loading.
Calculate the swell potential of the constrained swell specimen.
Calculate the collapse potential of the collapse specimen.
Calculate the shrinkage potential (vertical, radial, and volumetric) of the swell specimen.
Calculate the free swell of the bentonite.

7.0

Questions
Why were two different stress levels used for the collapse and constrained swell specimens?
How can you prevent collapse from occurring underneath a building?
How can you prevent swell from occurring underneath a building?
Where would you find collapsible soil in Utah?
Where would you find an expansive soil in Utah?
Discuss how slaking occurs.
What were the differences in slaking between the kaolinite and bentonite balls? Why did these
differences occur?
Discuss the difference in percent volume change between free swell and constrained swell.
Is it possible to have a soil that swells when it gets wet but does not shrink when it dries out?
Is it possible for the same soil to be susceptible to both swell and collapse? If so, what would
have to be different about the stress levels acting on the soil to achieve the two different types
of potential?
How serious are the swell and collapse potentials you calculated? What would be the effects
on a road and on a bridge?

2007-2012 Bret N. Lingwall, Evert C. Lawton

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Collapse, Swell, Shrinkage, and Slaking Tests

Col l apse Dat a Sheet

Group Member Names:

Test Date:

Load (tsf):
After

After

Ring Weight =

Cup Weight =

Moist Soil + Ring =

Moist soil + cup =

Moist Soil Weight =

Dry soil + cup =

Water Added? :

Elapsed Time
Date

Recommended

(min)
0.0

Reading
Time

Actual Elapsed
Time
(min)
0

Reading

0.25
0.5
1
1.5
2
3
4
6
8
15
30
60 - 1 hour
90 - 1.5 hours
120 - 2 hours
240 - 4 hours
960 - 16 hours
1440 - 24 hours

2007-2012 Bret N. Lingwall, Evert C. Lawton

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Collapse, Swell, Shrinkage, and Slaking Tests

Const r ai ned Swel l Dat a Sheet

Group Member Names:

Test Date:

0.5

Load (tsf):
After

After

Ring Weight =

Cup Weight =

Moist Soil + Ring =

Moist soil + cup =

Moist Soil Weight =

Dry soil + cup =

Water Added? :

Elapsed Time
Date

Recommended

(min)
0.0

Reading
Time

Actual Elapsed
Time
(min)
0

Reading

0.5
1
4
8
15
30
45
60 - 1 hour
90
120 - 2 hours
960 - 16 hours
1080 - 18 hours
1440 - 24 hours
36 Hours
48 Hours
72 Hours

2007-2012 Bret N. Lingwall, Evert C. Lawton

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Collapse, Swell, Shrinkage, and Slaking Tests

Fr ee Swel l and Sl aki ng Dat a Sheet

Group Member Names:

Test Begin Time:

Soil Description:

Test Begin Date:

Observation
Time

Color

Swell

2007-2012 Bret N. Lingwall, Evert C. Lawton

Notes

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