Electro-osmotic effects on soils

Abstract

Scope and Method of Study: From a review and correlation of pertinent literature on electro-osmosis, a qualitative examination is presented in this report, of the theory and application of electro-osmosis as utilized in the field of soil mechanics.

Findings and Conclusions: Electro-osmosis controls the flow of soil moisture and favorably alters some of the engineering properties of soils. The improvement of these properties is of a temporary nature when produced by electro-osmosis alone, and of a permanent nature when produced by electro-osmosis in conjunction with certain chemical processes. Electro-osmosis is successfully applied in overcoming difficulties in construction projects which involve soft, saturated clays and silts. Estimation of the costs of employing the process is complicated by variations in the physicochemical properties of the soil-water system. Economic justification for employment of the process is therefore largely dependent upon the judgment of the engineer.