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INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (IRJET) VOLUME: 07 ISSUE: 08 | AUG 2020

Determination of Effect of Moisture Content and Density on Shear Strength Parameters and Slope Stability of Highly Plastic Silt Embankment Soil (the Case of Wozeka-Gidole Road)

Daniel Getachew Abebe

Faculty of Water Supply and Environmental Engineering, Arbaminch University, Ethiopia --------------------------------------------------------------------*** ---------------------------------------------------------------------Abstract— Moisture content is one of the most crucial Parameters of shear strength (C ) and ( ϕ ) were factors influencing soil strength. This paper deals with obtained from triaxial shear test (UU) and shows the the effect of moisture content and density on the shear compacted elastic silt soil behaves like a granular soil strength parameters of WOZEKA-GIDOLE road elastic on the dry side of optimum water content (5% and silt (expansive) embankment soil under dry, wet 10%) and a reduction in angle of friction and an (partially saturated ), OMC and saturated conditions in increase in cohesion are observed as the compaction relation to slope stability analysis. The wide distribution water contents approach the optimum value. Cohesion of expansive soil in Ethiopia creates problems in many shows a slight increase as moisture content increases field of construction such as excavation, slope stability whereas friction angle highly decreases with increasing and foundation in understanding their engineering moisture content at constant density. The shear characteristics especially the behavioral changes in dry strength parameters were used for stability analysis and saturation condition. In this study, samples were with software GEOSLOPE/W 2018 with Limit collected from a slope construction road site in equilibrium based methods to calculate the factor of WOZEKA-GIDOLE, southern Ethiopia. At a constant safety (FOS) and locate critical failure arc. The slope grading of a soil its effect on strength, swelling pressure stability analysis of elastic silt soil has been done and is and index properties value has been undertaken, as used in under different conditions to evaluate slope soils are to be used for making road pavement, stability. Analysis of embankment at different heights of embankments. The stability of an embankment will the slope with Morgenstern-Price’s analysis method. In greatly be influence by the shear parameters which are the present study varying the density and moisture has depend upon the degree of compaction. So soil specimen been affect the properties of expansive soil namely were compacted in the laboratory and the optimum elastic silt soil. Finally constant grading of soil is a moisture content and dry densities were identified. technique for modification the geotechnical properties After compaction soil was tested at the dry side of and improving slope stability of embankment and optimum water content at w = 5%, partially saturate of increasing the dry density and decreasing height of the optimum at 10%, at 15% OMC and at 20% embankment, the undrained shear parameters (C & Φ) saturation condition at 1.3 gm/cm3, 1.4 gm/cm3 and are improved. 1.55 gm/cm3( MDD) dry densities.

Key words— Cohesion, Elastic silt, Factor of safety, Friction Angle, Geo-slope/W, Limit equilibrium, Moisture Content