The volumetric instability of soils due to changes in the water content is complex and is influenced by several factors, such as soil type, climate conditions and tension state. Vertissols are soils that undergo variations in volume. One of their most important morphological features are slickensides that reflect contraction and fissuring during the drying process, and swelling during wetting. Soils that vary in volume when flooded require special care regardless of their use for agriculture, construction or both. The objective of this study was to evaluate, through both conventional edometric tests and suction-controlled tests, with different initial moisture and externally applied tension, the changes in volume and expansion tension of the soil, due to variations in the water content of a Vertisol from Petrolândia-PE. The expansion tension was measured by six methods. Results showed that soil expansion, contraction or collapse depend on the initial moisture and external tension. The expansion tension is influenced by the tension path. The volume variations with time when the soil is drying could be due to expansion, expansion and collapse and only collapse or contraction. It was concluded that the volume changes due to the water content variation are associated to the soil initial conditions and those that the soil is expected to undergo in the future.
expansive soil; expansion tension; unsaturated soils
