Soil Fabric Changes During Consolidation

Abstract A method for characterizing the directional distribution of voids in soils at the microstructural level is presented. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to obtain high-resolution, high-magnification images of the soil microstructure. These images were analyzed using an image analysis program to obtain parameters of the directional void ratio distribution function. Useful indices based on both solid and void phases for describing the changes of fabric in soils are proposed, and their evolution under one-dimensional compression of soils is studied. The analyses showed a high degree of preferred orientation attained by soil particles during consolidation.