• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.24 no.9
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• pp.41-48
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• 2008

The aim of this study is to present a graphical method in order to evaluate stages in shrinkage cracking. Firstly, the distribution of crack openings is established by sorting the openings of individual cracks in the soil cracking system. Secondly, it is normalized in a range of 0 to 1 to obtain the normalized crack opening distribution. Thirdly, three S-shape curve models introduced by Brooks and Corey(1964), Fredlund and Xing(1994) and van Genuchten(1980) are chosen to fit the normalized crack opening distribution using a curve fitting method. The accuracy of fitting which is described through fitting parameters by the van Genuchten equation is much higher than that by the Brooks and Corey equation and slightly higher than that by the Fredlund and Xing equation; thus the van Genuchten model is used. Finally, the stages of shrinkage cracking are graphically evaluated by drawing three separate straight lines corresponding to three linear parts of the fitted normalized crack opening distribution. The proposed method is tested with different sample thicknesses. The measured data are fitted by the selected model with the fairly high regression coefficient and small root mean square error. The results show graphically that shrinkage cracking comprises three stages; namely, primary, secondary and residual stages. Subsequently, the ranges of evaluated crack opening for each of these stages are presented.