Expansive Clay Soils and Vegetative Influences on Shallow Foundations

Proceedings of sessions of the Shallow Foundation and Soil Properties Committee of the Geo-Institute at the ASCE 2001 Civil Engineering Conference, held in Houston, Texas, October 10-13, 2001.

This Geotechnical Special Publication contains 14 papers that discuss the effects of trees and moisture movements on various lightly loaded foundations on expansive clays. Papers review current state of the practice in foundation design, maintenance, and remediation as it relates to vegetative effects and expansive clays on foundations.

Topics include:

• tree root damage to buildings;
• predicting volume changes in expansive soils resulting from environmental factors including vegetation;
• drought;
• expansive clay soil problems and solutions throughout the world;
• soil-structure interaction;
• field test program to obtain geotechnical properties;
• depth of wetting and active zone in expansive soils;
• slabs on expansive clay with vegetation considerations;
• volume change coefficient of expansive clay;
• in-situ modification of active clays for shallow foundation remediation;
• cracking of pavement due to drying shrinkage;
• soil suction measurements; and
• data base on under-slab moisture contents in Texas.