Dilatancy (granular material) dilation. Because of dilatancy, the angle of friction increases as the confinement increases until it reaches a peak value. After the peak strength of the soil is mobilized the angle of friction abruptly decreases. As a result, geotechnical engineering of slopes, footings, tunnels, and piles in such soils have to consider the potential decrease in strength after the soil strength reaches this peak value. Poorly / uniformly graded silt with trace sand to sandy that is non-plastic can be associated with challenges during construction, even when they are hard. These materials often appear to be granular because the silt is
Ardleigh Gravel Pit north-east borders of a water filled pit. A footpath between Slough Lane and Park Farm runs along its north-east boundary. East of the main site is a small linear feature which as been filled in. It is on private land with no public access. Ardleigh Gravel Pit Ardleigh Gravel Pit is a 1.2 hectare geological Site of Special Scientific Interest south of Ardleigh in Essex. It is a Geological Conservation Review site. The site exposes a succession of Pleistocene levels, with an interglacial between two glacial periods. The interglacial may date back 700,000 years. The site has plant microfossils rare