Effect of Plastic Fines on Geotechnical Behavior of Ennore Sand

The soil is usually found in the combination of various size particles such as clayey silt, sandy silt and silty-sand. The geotechnical properties of soil such as index properties, permeability, compactability, shear strength and volumetric response rely on the gradation of the soil particles. In the present study, Ennore sand is used with varying kaolinite clay contents such as 0%, 5%, 10% and 15%. To determine the shear strength parameters of soil mixture, a series of large direct shear tests were conducted on Ennore sand–kaolinite clay mixtures. The specimens for direct shear tests were prepared at optimum moisture content and maximum dry density. The experimental results showed that shear strength increased with the increase in fines content up to 10%, and after that, it was observed to decrease. The cohesion of soil mixtures were found to be increased with the increase in kaolinite content due to its plastic nature.