International Journal of Engineering and Technology

The stability of the structures built on expansive soils or crossed expansive layers may be compromised as a result of a change of soil-moisture conditions. Knowledge of the behavior of the soil is considered a valuable data for engineers and practitioners of geotechnical and civil engineering, especially, in the phases of design and structural calculation. This paper is motivated by the extent of damage that should be avoided and can occur in the case of a pressure causing heave foundations, upward movement of flatwork or roadway cracking in spider or x-type pattern. First of all, the assessment of swelling characteristics depends on the conditions of starting wetting and saturation. For this reason, we suggested to establish an experimental study on the tirs or vertisol of Gharb region based on the swell oedometer test methods. A comparative analysis of swelling kinetics, swelling ratio and swelling pressure compared with test conditions is proposed. Our attention was focused, thereafter, on the influence of the wetting duration that interferes with a rise of degree of saturation and regression of suction. It was also valuable to study the influence of the initial condition of the soil in terms of water content combined with dry density. All of these factors follow some real sequences in the field.