Physico-chemical characteristics of British loess

Loess is a loose, open structured, metastable soil which when dry can withstand high overburden stresses, whilst upon saturation collapses creating enormous engineering problems. The mechanisms controlling this metastable behaviour involve the disintegration of inter-particle clay and carbonate bonding and variations in the pore water pressures (i.e. suctions) during the saturation of the loaded soil. The interaction of liquids is inherently difficult to measure directly, and therefore this research aimed to measure indirectly the physical response to changes in liquid chemistry, and thereby determine the influence on the mechanisms of collapse.