Factors Predisposing and Triggering the Phenomenon of Shrinkage-Swelling of Clay Soils in the Urban Center of Diamniadio

Abstract

The phenomena of shrinkage and swelling of clay induce damage to housing structures every year. Precipitation, climatic changes and drought are the cause of wall cracks due to subsidence or swelling of the supporting soil. This movement alters the balance between the soil and the structures. To explain this defection, the soil is made up of three elements: the solid, the liquid and the gas. Sometimes in a natural way or following a human intervention, one of these elements undergoes an abnormal variation that causes the loss of the balance between land and works. It is in this sense that this article deals on the one hand with the factors of predisposition and triggering of the phenomena of shrinkage-swelling of the clay soils of Diamniadio and on the other hand, the factors of aggravation linked to the lithological heterogeneity and the variation in the thickness of the layers susceptible to shrinkage-swelling. The studies carried out have enabled a deeper understanding of the behavior of expansive soils following their interactions with climate, vegetation, hydrology, hydrogeology, constructions among others, but also the influence of lateral and vertical variations of fine soil facies.