Geotechnical Properties of Soils in Parts of Eleme, South-Southern Nigeria and its Suitability for Building Foundation

At Eteo Eleme, a geotechnical assessment was conducted to see if the soils were suitable for use as foundations. In compliance with applicable ASTM standards, laboratory tests such as bulk density, moisture content, particle size distribution, triaxial, and Atterberg limit were performed on 15 soil samples that were gathered between 0 and 2 meters below the surface. The soil profile and the parameters of the soil classification test were acquired by means of a thorough field and laboratory examination. The soil types at the three places were found to be Dark Brown silty clayey sand at the first location, Brown/Reddish silty clayey sand at the second location, and Dark/Gray clayey silty sand at the third location. This research was conducted in several areas of Eteo, Eleme. In all three (3) locations, the average natural moisture content of the soil is 10.72%, 14.62%, and 12.22%. The low moisture content measurements show that the soils have a high carrying capacity due to their strong shear strength. Locations 1, 2, and 3 have average bulk densities of 1278.00 kg/cm3, 1278.00 kg/cm3, and 1673.93 kg/m3, respectively. The bulk density value and the level of compaction increase with depth. To improve the soil's in-situ (natural state) stiffness and bearing capability, compaction is required. Compaction adds friction from the particles' interlocking, which raises the soils' shear strength. According to the Atterberg limit finding, Locations 1 and 2 have moderate plasticity with liquid limit average values of 32.05 and 35.85, respectively. Locations 1 and 2 have plastic limit average values of 24.07 and 25.86, respectively, indicating that the soil in these areas is readily distorted. site 1 has a low swelling potential, whereas site 2 has a medium swelling potential, as shown by the average plasticity index values of 10.07 and 17.41, respectively. According to the particle size result, the soils at site 2 (0.5 m) have a coefficient of uniformity of less than 5, which suggests that the soils there are poorly graded. The soil at site 3 (1.5 m and topsoil) has a coefficient of uniformity <5, which suggests that the soils there are not well graded. The soil's bearing capacity, as determined by the triaxial test conducted at position 2 at 1 m, is 30.09 kN/m2. This suggests that putting weights on the foundation that are greater than these values will cause settling.