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Figure
4.19b
also shows an isolated cube, for which each side measures d . It can be shown th
at, for
this case, e 0.35.
Real soil differs from the equal-spheres model in that soil particles are neithe
r
equal in size nor spherical. The smaller-size particles may occupy the void spac
es
between the larger particles, thus the void ratio of soils is decreased compared
with that
for equal spheres. However, the irregularity in the particle shapes generally yi
elds an
increase in the void ratio of soils. As a result of these two factors, the void
ratios
encountered in real soils have approximately the same range as those obtained in
equal
spheres.
In the honeycombed structure (Figure 4.20), relatively ?ne sand and silt form sm
all
arches with chains of particles. Soils that exhibit a honeycombed structure have
large void
ratios, and they can carry an ordinary static load. However, under a heavy load
or when
subjected to shock loading, the structure breaks down, which results in a large
amount of
settlement.
Structures in Cohesive Soils
a
b
12
understand the basic structures in cohesive soils, we need to know the types of
forces that act between clay particles suspended in water. In Chapter 2, we disc
ussed
the negative charge on the surface of the clay particles and the diffuse double
layer surrounding
each particle. When
two
clay particles in suspension come close to each other,
the
tendency
for interpenetration of the diffuse
double layers results in repulsion
between
the particles. At
the same time,
an attractive force exists between the clay particles
that is caused by van
der Waals
forces and is independent of the characteristics of
ater.
Both repulsi
and attractive
forces increase with decreasing distance between
the
particles,
but at different rates. When the spacing between the particles is very
small, the force of attraction is greater than the force of repulsion. These are
the forces
treated by colloidal theories.