Prof. D. N. Singh

MEENU P S

M.Tech.
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, India meeps91@gmail.com

INFLUENCE OF BIO-GEO INTERFACE ON SUCTION CHARACTERISTICS OF FINE-GRAINED SOILS

Dependence of soil suction on factors such as formation of the soil, its particle size, mineralogy, pore-size distribution characteristics, water content, fabric, stress history and presence of salts has been investigated by earlier researchers in detail. However, the influence of the microbial presence, and activity, in the soil has not yet received researchers? (much) attention. With this in view, a methodology that facilitates investigation regarding the presence of ?soil-microbial interface?, which has been termed as ?bio-geo interface?, has been proposed in this study. Subsequently, the advance imaging techniques like SEM and Cryo-SEM have also been employed to ensure the presence of this ?interface? in the fine-grained soils. Furthermore, the influence of this ?interface? on suction characteristics of such soils has also been investigated and the utility of the proposed methodology in addressing such issues, successfully, has been demonstrated.