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The Effect Of Thermal Treatment On The Engineering Properties Of Clays, George R. Laughlin

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Of the cohesive soils the property of plasticity is usually of the most concern to the engineer. The clay minerals rather than the clay size material present in a soil determine the degree and magnitude of plastic properties. In turn, the plasticity of the clay minerals varies according to their mineralogy and particle size. Of the various types of clay minerals present in a soil, only kaolinite, illite and montmorillonite occur in sufficient abundance to be of general engineering significance.

Much prior work has been performed to alter these plastic properties of clay soils. This has been accomplished in some …