Geotechnical and Chemical Evaluation of Tropical Red Soils in a Deltaic Environment: Implications for Road Construction

Tropical red soils which occur in the dry flatlands and plains of the eastern Niger Delta Nigeria were evaluated using combined conventional engineering geological investigation with major oxide geochemistry to determine their properties and evaluate their engineering performance in road construction. Laboratory test results indicate that the brownish materials are uniformly graded, silty clayey sandy soils. The silica to sesquoxide ratio values of 3 to 4.37 indicate that they are non-lateritic tropically weathered soils. The average values of the specific gravity, liquid limit, plasticity index and shrinkage limits are 2.67, 37%, 10% and 7.6% respectively. They are soils of low to medium plasticity. The unsoaked and soaked CBR values range from 14-38% and 3-9% respectively whereas the average undrained shear strength is 172kN/m2. Maximum dry density and optimum moisture content values fall between 1680 to 1880kN/m2 and 13-16% respectively. Generally the soils classify as A-7-6 to A-2-4 subgroups of the AASHO classification. The overall implication of these composite engineering properties is that the non-lateritic soils rate as poor to fair subgrade materials.