Chen defines these soils by their mineralogical composition, specifically the presence of minerals like (montmorillonite), which have a high affinity for water.
Chen warned that deep foundations must be sleeved or coated to avoid uplift from swelling clay. He provided charts for neutral plane depth—a concept later refined but originally presented clearly in his 1988 work.
Fu Hua Chen was not merely an academic; he was a practitioner with decades of experience, particularly in the Denver, Colorado area, and broader consulting work across the United States. His 1988 book, published by Elsevier, was a culmination of his life's work.
Foundations on expansive soils pose significant challenges due to the soil's tendency to swell and shrink with changes in moisture content. Chen (1988) and other researchers have proposed various design strategies to mitigate these problems, including deep foundations, soil improvement, foundation design modifications, and moisture control. By understanding the behavior of expansive soils and using appropriate design strategies, engineers can build safe and durable structures on these challenging soils.
Fu Hua Chen’s 1988 text, "Foundations on Expansive Soils," is a seminal work in geotechnical engineering that details methods for identifying and mitigating the risks associated with high-volume-change soils. It establishes essential engineering solutions, including the use of deep drilled piers and stiffened slabs, to address soil swelling and shrinkage. A digital copy is available for borrowing at the Internet Archive ResearchGate Grade beam and deep foundation system (Chen, 1988)
If you find a PDF, check the page count (original is approximately 540 pages). Also, preface the scan with the original Elsevier copyright page.
| Book | Author | Year | Strengths | |------|--------|------|-------------| | Expansive Soils: Problems and Practice | Nelson & Miller | 1992 | More comprehensive on suction theory | | Expansive Soils (ASCE Geotechnical Special Publication) | Various | 2001 | Updated case studies | | Soil Mechanics for Unsaturated Soils | Fredlund & Rahardjo | 1993 | Heavy theory, less practical design |