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Soil Physics

Relationships among Coefficient of Linear Extensibility and Clay Fractions in Expansive, Stoney Soils

^a USDA-NRCS, 200 HWY 70 East Suite 2, Glenwood, AR 71943
^b Dep. of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences, Univ. of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701

^* Corresponding author (kbrye{at}uark.edu)

An expansive soil is any soil that has a potential for shrinking and swelling under changing moisture conditions. Structural damage to homes (i.e., walls and foundations) due to expansive soils is costly to repair and may be somewhat avoidable if soil properties, such as clay content and the coefficient of linear extensibility (COLE), are investigated. The objectives of this study were to examine the relationships among COLE, clay fractions, and coarse-fragment content and determine the usefulness of COLE as an indicator of structural damage in expansive and stoney soils. Sixteen individual homeowner sites were selected for sampling in the Fayetteville area of Washington County, Arkansas based on a homeowner questionnaire and visual inspection. COLE was determined based on the rod method from the length change of a moist and oven-dry soil-paste rod (COLE_rod). Measured COLE_rod values were adjusted for coarse-fragment content (COLE_adj) by multiplying COLE_rod by the volume fraction of fine-earth plus pores, yielding a 0.003 unit reduction (P < 0.001) in COLE_rod, but no change in hazard-class rating. COLE_rod was positively correlated (P < 0.001) with total (r = 0.88), coarse (r = 0.55), and medium plus fine (r = 0.79) clay fractions. However, COLE_rod adjustments for coarse-fragment content did not improve linear relationships between COLE_rod and clay fractions. The summation of soil profile COLE_rod values for a site was a reasonable predictor, while the average COLE_rod value for a site and COLE_adj were poor predictors of home structural damage. Results demonstrate that COLE_rod is a reasonably reliable predictor of potential home structural damage.

Abbreviations: CEC, cation-exchange capacity • COLE, coefficient of linear extensibility • COLE_adj, adjusted coefficient of linear extensibility • COLE_rod, COLE determined based on the rod method