HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Sposito, G. Articles by Giráldez, J. V. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Sposito, G. Articles by Giráldez, J. V. Agricola Articles by Sposito, G. Articles by Giráldez, J. V.

Thermodynamic Stability and The Law of Corresponding States in Swelling Soils¹

ABSTRACT

Following a heuristic suggestion by Groenevelt and Parlange, a thermodynamic description is given of a postulated order-disorder transformation in a swelling soil. This transformation is shown to correspond to a phase transition of the second order at the air entry point, wherein the onset of a microscopic ordering process among the clay crystals in the soil occurs and there is a consequent discontinuity in the slope of the swelling curve. The available experimental swelling curves with which this prediction can be checked are organized on the basis of a new application of the law of corresponding states that permits all of the data to be plotted as a single, universal function of a reduced gravimetric water content variable. Scatter in the swelling curve data is sufficiently great at present to preclude a definite conclusion as to whether a second-order phase transition actually occurs in swelling soil.

¹ Contribution from the Dep. of Soil Science and Agric. Eng., Univ. of California, Riverside, CA 92502.

² Assistant Professor of Soil Science and Graduate Student, respectively.

Received for publication October 20, 1975. Accepted for publication February 9, 1976.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				X. Peng and R. Horn Modeling Soil Shrinkage Curve across a Wide Range of Soil Types Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., April 11, 2005; 69(3): 584 - 592. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. Boivin, P. Garnier, and D. Tessier Relationship between Clay Content, Clay Type, and Shrinkage Properties of Soil Samples Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., July 1, 2004; 68(4): 1145 - 1153. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Braudeau, J.-P. Frangi, and R. H. Mohtar Characterizing Nonrigid Aggregated Soil-Water Medium Using its Shrinkage Curve Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., March 1, 2004; 68(2): 359 - 370. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]