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Halloysite behaving badly: geomechanics and slope behaviour of halloysite-rich soils

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Vicki Moon
Vicki Moon*
Affiliation:
School of Science, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand
*
*E-mail: v.moon@waikato.ac.nz
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Abstract

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Halloysite-rich soils derived from in situ weathering of volcanic materials support steep stable slopes, but commonly fail under triggers of earthquakes or rainfall. Resulting landslides are slideflow processes, ranging from small translational slides to larger rotational failures with scarps characteristic of sensitive soils. Remoulding of failed materials results in high-mobility flows with apparent friction angles of 10–16°. The materials characteristically have high peak-friction angles (∼25– 37°), low cohesion (∼12–60 kN m−2) and plasticity ( plasticity index ∼10–48%), and low dry bulk density (∼480–1,080 kg m−3) with small pores due to the small size of the halloysite minerals. They remain saturated under most field conditions, with liquidity indexes frequently >1. Remoulded materials have limited cohesion (<5 kN m−2) and variable residual friction angles (15°–35°). Halloysite mineral morphology affects the rheology of remoulded suspensions: tubular minerals have greater viscosity and undrained shear strength than spherical morphologies.

Keywords

halloysitelandslideshear strengthsensitivityAtterberg limits

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Clay Minerals , Volume 51 , Issue 3 , June 2016 , pp. 517 - 528
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2016

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