Reliability Of Multi-Method Mineralogical Identification In Expansive Soils
Abstract
The swelling characteristics and engineering performance of expansive soils are primarily governed by their clay mineralogy; however, mineralogical identification based on a single method may be insufficient for natural clays composed of multiple clay minerals together with non-clay constituents. This study aims to determine the mineralogy of a natural expansive clay from the Çubuk district of Ankara, Türkiye, using an integrated set of direct and indirect methods, and to demonstrate the limitations of relying on a single technique while proposing a practical combination of tests for more reliable mineralogical identification. Direct analyses included X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDX), while indirect indicators comprised methylene blue adsorption, Atterberg limits, clay fraction content (
Fields of Study & Subjects
Clay minerals and soil interactions
Soil and Unsaturated Flow
Concrete and Cement Materials Research
Publication details
- Journal / source
- GAZI UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OF SCIENCE
- Publisher
- Gazi University Journal of Science
- Volume
- 39
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 1463–1472
- Publication date
- 24 July 2026
- Language
- EN