Engineering Properties of Cohesive Soils in Northern Ontario
A. Tomory, M. Grabinsky, J. P. Dittrich, A. Bom
This paper presents the results of a research study undertaken to evaluate and improve the existing
methods for predicting the engineering properties of fine-grained cohesive soils in Northern Ontario. Due
to the common geological processes that formed fine grained soils across Northern Ontario, it has been
possible to characterize similarities and develop empirical correlations of engineering properties that
relate to these soils. The improvements of the existing methods have been based on a database of
geotechnical laboratory test data. Various existing empirical correlations available in the literature for
engineering properties of fine grained soils were tested using this database. Based on the results of this
assessment, the most appropriate correlations for predicting five main properties of fine grained soils are
recommended or refined, if necessary, and where none are found to be appropriate, new correlations are
developed.
These correlations address the following engineering properties: undrained shear strength (S u), effective
friction angle (’), compression index (Cc), recompression index (Cr) and secondary compression
index/strain (Cα(e) and Cα(ε)). One conclusion from the study is that the typical existing empirical
formulae underestimate the effects of secondary compression on soils in Northern Ontario.