Geotechnical Aspects of Oil-Contaminated Sands

Contamination due to chemicals and oil spills can influence the engineering behavior of soils. The results of an investigation conducted to study the effects of oil contamination on compaction characteristics, shear strength, one-dimensional compression, and hydraulic conductivity of a sand are presented in this article. The test results indicate that the compaction characteristics are influenced by oil contamination. The angle of internal friction of sand based on total stress condition was found to decrease with the presence of oil in the pore spaces. One-dimensional compression characteristics of sand are significantly influenced by oil contamination, resulting in a decrease in the value of the constrained modulus with increase in the degree of oil saturation. Hydraulic conductivity was observed to be a function of the initial viscosity and the degree of oil saturation.