LAUSR

This article presents experimental data of pressure influence on the energy potential of clay particle surface. The potential was estimated through the complex indicator Mk . In montmorillonite clay the energy potential reaches maximum values at the pressure up to 125 MPa. As the pressure rises to 2 200 MPa, the potential gets reduced. A different pattern has been found in kaolinite clay: when pressure increases, the energy potential of the particle surface increases as well. In kaolinite clay the influence of the fractional composition on Mk changes is rather insignificant whereas in montmorillonite clay it is significant. Based on the revealed relationships between the energy potential of clay particle surface and their content in the soil, the mathematical models have been developed that make it possible to predict Mk from the data of clay fractional composition.