Resumen

CHAVEZ-NEGRETE, Carlos; ESPINOSA-ARREOL, José de Jesús; ALARCON-IBARRA, Jorge  y  ARREYGUE-ROCHA, José Elezar. Wetting collapse in Pátzcuaro-Uruapan Highway Embankments. Ing. invest. y tecnol. [online]. 2016, vol.17, n.2, pp.201-210.  Epub 04-Abr-2022. ISSN 2594-0732.

The behavior of compacted soil depends on its maximum dry density and water content. The embankments of roads must be designed to have tolerable deformations caused by their own weight, external stresses and volume changes produced by water content change. In the case of low plasticity soils the changes in humidity cause collapsing deformations, these deformations are accentuated in loose soils. As compacted soils are partially saturated soils, it is advisable to study the volumetric soil stability considering particular concepts of partially saturated soils such as the retention curve, the variation in permeability, the water flow and local climate. Based on the above concepts it is possible to determine, if the degree of compaction and the water content is suitable for design purposes. The results of an analysis of a typical embankment representative of the Pátzcuaro-Uruapan highway are presented in this work, water infiltration was quantified over time using the Barcelona Basic Model to estimate collapsing deformations. It was noted that there is a problem of low compacting soil degree, which causes collapse up to 48 cm in an embankment of 15 m high over a period of three years.

Palabras llave : road embankments; soil compaction; water flow in unsaturated soils; collapse of unsaturated soils.