The compressibility and sensitivity of an artificially sedimented clay soil: The Grande‐Baleine Marine Clay, Québec, Canada

Abstract

Abstract A quick clay soil from a site close to the Grande‐Baleine River on the west bank of Hudson Bay has been resedimented artificially. Specimens were formed at salinities of 0.2 and 35 g/L to simulate freshwater and marine environments. Under a consolidation pressure of 50 kPa, the specimens were shown to yield sensitivities from 5 to 26, the highest being for the low‐salinity specimens. The natural sensitivity (as measured with the fall cone) is greater than 300. The initial compressibility of soils formed at low salinity is lower than those at high salinity, but values at higher pressures converge with the compressibility of the intact soil. The sensitivity of the artificial soil is lower than that of the intact soil and reflects the greater structuration of the latter. For artificial soils, the sensitivity increases as the salinity decreases; this is due mostly to a reduction in the remolded strength. Results show that freshly deposited soils can have a high void ratio that results from a structuration or resistance of the soil skeleton. Such aspects as compressibility and the plasticity‐sensitivity relationship are also discussed.