The fabric of a clay soil under controlled mechanical and hydraulic stress states

Fabric determination is fundamental to the understanding of several mechanims controlling a clayey soil behavior. Two techniques; namely, mercury intrusion tests and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to study the soil fabric of a remoulded Boom clay. The effect of overburden pressure, excavation and desaturation on the soil fabric are studied. Results demonstrate that the nature of soil fabric is dependent on both the applied mechanical and hydraulic stress state conditions.