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GEOTECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SEDIMENTS FROM THE KOZLODUY LOWLAND IN NORTHERN BULGARIA

Miroslav Кrastanov, Boyko Berov, Rosen Nankin, Plamen Ivanov

Abstract

The study area is located in northern Bulgaria in the northwestern part of the town of Kozloduy, Vratsa province. From an engineering geological point of view, the region falls within the Lom Engineering Geological Area, which is characterized by the presence of loess sediments (silty clay sands and sandy clays), which are with high porosity, non compacted and susceptible to collaps?. Other dangerous engineering geological processes are landslides and river erosion. The Kozloduy lowland is one of the Danube lowlands with a typical geological structure. The lowlands are covered with loess deposits 10–12 m thick. The groundwater level is often between 5 and 8 m deep, so a significant part of the loess deposits are water-saturated. The loess above the water level is in a dry, uncompacted state with low bulk density. It is in this upper, collapsing part that construction takes place. Below groundwater levels, soil liquefaction can be expected under certain conditions. The aim of the study is to present an engineering geological characteristic of the geological varieties distributed in this area, their spatial orientation, as well as their geotechnical parameters. Attention is paid to the interpretation of the data and the comparison of the results of the studies obtained on site (in situ) and in the laboratory. Field and laboratory research were performed - dynamic cone penetration tests (DPH type), drilling studies, and laboratory analysis of soil samples. Based on these studies, it is established that the geological environment is two-layered. The first layer of the terrain surface is represented by loess sediments, and the second by the alluvial materials of the Danube River. From the geotechnical parameters through the dynamic penetration tests (type DPH) the depth of the soil layers, the undrained cohesion (Cu), the consistency and the volumetric weight of the sediments were determined. In addition to these indicators, the peak resistance at the cone (Qc), the compression modulus (Eoed) and the consistency index (Ic), etc. are also determined.

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DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/sgem2021/1.1/s02.026

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