On the compression behaviour of intensely to medium fissured clays

The compression behaviour of four clays outcropping within the Apennine chain in southern Italy is investigated in the light of their different fissuring features. For each of the fissured mesostructures under study a Fissuring Dentification chart has been created on the basis of a classification chart for fissuring recently proposed by the Authors. The laboratory tests were carried out on both natural and reconstituted clay specimens, and the results have been compared with those recognised in the literature to be typical of unfissured sensitive clays. Based on such comparisons, a unique framework of compression behaviour is found to be followed by the clays, independently of their different Fissuring IDentification charts. It appears to be still a sensitivity framework although for clays having Stress Sensitivity values (Cotecchia & Chandler, 2000) below unity, due to the fissured mesostructure. Conversely, the swelling behaviour of the clays is seen to be dependent on the fissuring intensity.