Civil engineers, structural engineers, and geotechnical engineers have a vital role in understanding and managing the properties of soils for various construction and engineering projects. Cohesion of soil is a key property of the soil that affects the performance and safety of these projects.
In this blog article, we will explore the concept of soil cohesion, its relevance and implications, and how to measure it.
Soil cohesion is a property of the soil that determines its ability to resist deformation. This property is affected by the type of particles in the soil, their size, shape, and arrangement. The interparticle forces that hold the particles together also play a role in cohesion.
Soil cohesion is important for the performance of civil engineering and geotechnical engineering projects. For example, cohesion is responsible for the bearing capacity of soils, which is the ability of the soil to support the weight of structures such as buildings and bridges.
The cohesion of soil also affects slope stability, meaning the ability of a slope to resist sliding or collapsing. In order to design and build safe and reliable structures, engineers need to be able to accurately predict the cohesion of soils.
There are several ways to measure the cohesion of soils. One method is the fall cone test, which measures the shear strength of a soil. The fall cone test is performed by slowly adding weight to a cone-shaped object until it slips or falls.
The weight at which the object slips or falls is an indication of the soil’s cohesion. Another common method is the direct shear test, which measures the force required to cause two layers of soil to slide past each other
