The presence of organics in soils is generally associated with high compressibility, significant secondary compression, often unsatisfactory strength characteristics, and low unit weight. As a result of the above, many state DOTs (Departments of Transportation) in the United States have strict limits on the maximum value of the organic content (2-7%) that can be present in soils to be used as sub grades and backfills. The loss on ignition test is the most widely used technique for measuring organic content. However, especially for low organic content soils, this method can significantly overestimate the true organic content. As a result, certain soils may be incorrectly classified and erroneously considered unviable for certain applications; in other cases unnecessary costly treatments may be requested, even if not required. These are the issues motivating the research presented in this report, which addressed the classification of organic soils and the quantification of organic matter in soils. The research reviewed existing classification systems for organic soils, the effects of organic matter on the geotechnical properties of soils, and the methods for determination of organic content. In addition to the review of the existing literature, this research also included experimental work conducted on natural soils with varying organic content, as well as on laboratory prepared ("artificial") organic soils.
Sulfate-induced heave, resulting from the chemical treatment of sulfate rich soils, has been known to cause significant damage to pavements and other structures particularly in the south-western United States. This research addressed the problem of sulfate-induced heave in coal mine spoils, formed as a result of shallow strip coal mining, after treatment with calcium-based stabilizers. These spoils occur in areas of Indiana in which substantial infrastructure development is taking place and will continue to occur in the next 10-15 years. Samples of coal mine spoils were obtained from different sites in Indiana. While the majority of the samples exhibited sulfate contents below values generally considered to be a concern, selected samples exhibited elevated sulfate contents, in the thousands of ppm. One of these samples, from the Hawthorn coal mine area in Sullivan County, Indiana, with sulfate content exceed 10,000 ppm, the critical threshold value above which, according to the literature, significant heave may be expected, was selected for extensive testing.
Vittoria Colonna (1490-1547) was the genre-defining secular woman writer of Renaissance Italy, whose literary model helped to establish a decorous and wholly assimilated voice for women within the field of Italian literature. The Companion to Vittoria Colonna brings together an international and interdisciplinary group of leading scholars to assess Colonna’s contribution, both as a writer, a role model, and a contributor to important religious debates of the era. This book, while amply fulfilling the remit of providing a useful and comprehensive handbook to meet the needs of students and scholars at earlier and advanced levels, aims in addition to do more than this, by drawing into a single volume for the first time scholarship from across disciplines in which Vittoria Colonna’s influence has been felt, including literary criticism, religious history, history of art and music. Contributors are: Abigail Brundin, Stephen Bowd, Emidio Campi, Eleonora Carinci, Adriana Chemello, Virginia Cox, Tatiana Crivelli, Maria Forcellino, Gaudenz Freuler, Anne Piéjus, Diana Robin, Helena Sanson, and Maria Serena Sapegno.
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