Civil Engineering and Architecture 10(1): 388-394, 2022 http://www.hrpub.org
DOI: 10.13189/cea.2022.100133
The Identification of the Existence of Dispersive Soil on
the Soft Soil for Dam Filling Material
Lusmeilia Afriani
1,*
, Ryzal Perdana
2
1
Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Lampung, Indonesia
2
Department of Educational Science, Universitas Lampung, Indonesia
Received September 12, 2021; Revised November 29, 2021; Accepted January 16, 2022
Cite This Paper in the following Citation Styles
(a): [1] Lusmeilia Afriani, Ryzal Perdana , "The Identification of the Existence of Dispersive Soil on the Soft Soil for
Dam Filling Material," Civil Engineering and Architecture, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 388-394, 2022. DOI:
10.13189/cea.2022.100133.
(b): Lusmeilia Afriani, Ryzal Perdana (2022). The Identification of the Existence of Dispersive Soil on the Soft Soil for
Dam Filling Material. Civil Engineering and Architecture, 10(1), 388-394. DOI: 10.13189/cea.2022.100133.
Copyright©2022 by authors, all rights reserved. Authors agree that this article remains permanently open access under the
terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 International License
Abstract Dispersive clay soils are highly erodible,
even under standing water conditions. Dispersive clay soils
are easily eroded both on the surface and in landfills,
despite their high plasticity index and ability to be passed
by water flows at low velocities. Dispersive soil will cause
a variety of problems in dams and water structures,
including the potential for seepage patterns in the
embankment material, which can trigger piping,
compromising the stability of the water structure.
Dispersive soils occurring in many parts of the world are
easily erodible and deflocculated in water, posing serious
problems for stability of the earth and earth-retaining
structures. Earth dams constructed on dispersive soils have
sustained internal and external soft soil damage. The
purpose of the current study was to identify the
predetermine of dispersive clay soil as a filling material for
the Way Sekampung Dam in Indonesia. Pinhole and
Crumb tests were carried out to determine the dispersity of
the original soil. This study analysed 17 undisturbed soil
samples collected from 17 different locations throughout
the study area. The research findings indicate that there is
no evidence of dispersive soil distribution in the samples
studied. According to the Pinhole and Crumb tests, all soil
samples have ND-1 and 1 status, respectively. These
findings are supported by laboratory test results which
indicate that the soil content with a diameter greater than
0.005 mm is always less than 12% for each sample. In
addition, another test revealed that the permeability value
of all tested clay samples was not too low (around 10
-2
to
10
-4
), indicating that they did not possess the properties of
dispersive clay, which had a very low permeability value
(around 10
-6
to 10
-7
). In general, the clay surrounding the
dam site is free from dispersive properties and is therefore
safe and suitable for use as a dam filling material. Finally,
these findings will be beneficial for dam constructions to
understand the possibility of dispersive soil causing
significant issues that require attention in geotechnical
engineering.
Keywords Identification, Existence, Dispersive, Soil,
Dam Filling
1. Introduction
Every type of structure, including buildings,
embankments, and dams, is generally constructed using the
same procedures [1], [2]. For instance, any structure must
be built on soil that is capable of bearing the loads above it.
If the ground cannot withstand the vertical and horizontal
forces generated by the loads above it, the building's
construction will fail [3]. To avert this failure, either the
structure must be relocated or the soil stabilised [4]. On the
basis of these facts, it can be stated that soil is a critical
component of any construction project. The soil ground is
the area on which a building is constructed while also
supporting the construction load [5].
When constructing a structure, we always strive to
obtain suitable soil for the building's foundation. However,
not all soils live up to our expectations. Certain areas
deposit softer soils, such as clay. Clay is composed of