Static and Cyclic Behavior of Oil Contaminated Sand

This study aims to investigate the influence of oil contamination on the geotechnical properties of Ganga sand through a series of laboratory experiments. Geotechnical tests such as standard proctor compaction, permeability, CBR, consolidated undrained (CU) triaxial, and cyclic triaxial tests have been carried out on sand samples and sand samples mixed with varying oil contents (0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, and 10% by dry weight of clean sand). Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was also employed to examine micro-level interactions between oil and sand particles. The results showed an increase in compacted dry density and peak apparent cohesion value, accompanied by a decrease in optimum moisture content, normalized permeability, shear strength, peak angle of friction, and shear modulus with increasing oil content. These findings reveal that oil contamination significantly alters the geotechnical properties of sand, increasing its liquefaction susceptibility, and thus requires preventive measures.