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Sulphate heave: a model to explain the rapid rise of ground-bearing floor slabs

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Abstract

Expansion of dark mudrocks as a consequence of sulphate development has been known for many years, generally occurring in low pH conditions. In buildings in Dublin, ground floor heave of up to 48 mm has been recorded within 5 years of construction, with some properties showing signs of distress even before the completion of the development. In each case the ground-bearing floor slabs rested on a pyritiferous aggregate with a pH of 8–10. A new model is proposed to explain why the effect of the expansion was evident in such a short period of time.

Résumé

Le gonflement des argilites noires en conséquence du développement de sulfates est connu depuis de nombreuses années. Il apparaît généralement pour des faibles valeurs de pH. Dans des bâtiments à Dublin, des soulèvements de rez-de-chaussée jusqu’à 48 mm ont été enregistrés dans les cinq années suivant la construction, avec quelques caractéristiques correspondant à des situations critiques avant même l’achèvement du processus. Dans chaque cas le dallage sur terre plein reposait sur un matériau de remblai constitué de ces argilites concassées, pyriteuses, avec un pH de 8–10. Un nouveau modèle est proposé pour expliquer pourquoi les effets du gonflement ont pu se réaliser aussi rapidement.

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Acknowledgments

The author is grateful to the City of Dublin for permission to publish Figs. 2 and 3, to Seamus Ross for permission to publish Figs. 4 and 5 and to Mike Eden who produced the SEM imagery. Thanks are also extended to James Lombard and Peter Finnegan for helpful discussions and comments on the text.

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Correspondence to A. Brian Hawkins.

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Hawkins, A.B. Sulphate heave: a model to explain the rapid rise of ground-bearing floor slabs. Bull Eng Geol Environ 71, 113–117 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-011-0408-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-011-0408-1

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