Investigation of dispersivity properties of the clay core material used for the Ataturk Dam

This study has been prepared as an MSc. Thesis at the Deparment of Geological Engineering in the Institute of Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Cukurova in the academic year of 2011-2012.In this study, the dispersivity of the material used for the clay core of the Ataturk Dam and its effect on the long term stability of the dam have been investigated. Soil classification tests have been performed on disturbed samples of clay material used in the clay core. XRF, XRD and SEM analysis show that the clay clay material is rich in Vermiculite, Kaolinite and Simectite type clays. The pinhole and double hydrometer and break up tests have been performed according to maximum dry unit weight and optimum moisture content determined by the Standart Proctor Experiment, one of the engineering test in soil mechanics. In conclusion, it was determined that the clay core material is non-dispersive material.