ABSTRACT
Geotechnical issues common to arid regions were introduced through a series of presentations and written contributions representing more than a dozen specific case histories. A review of the symposium and case histories session presentations clearly indicates that the primary geotechnical problems in arid soils are soil expansion, soil collapse, and salt damage. Uncertainties concerning the degree and extent of wetting over the lifetime of the structure, and the typical high degree of nonhomogeneity of arid region soil profiles add to the complexity of moisture-sensitive soil analyses. The importance of direct measurement of the wetting-induced volume change potential of a soil was also evident from the studies presented and the discussion that ensued. Extremely accurate assessment of the in-situ state of the soil may be difficult. Authors of papers for the case histories session cited numerous mitigation alternatives for moisture-sensitive soils.
