BEHAVIOR OF OIL CONTAMINATED SAND

Oil storage tanks occasionally leak, and the risk of leakage increases as the oil tank ages: Spills and leaks of petroleum products often result in the contamination of soil and influence the geotechnical properties of foundation soil. An experimental program was conducted to study the effect of motor oil contamination on compaction characteristics, shear strength, CBR, permeability, and compressibility of sand. The contaminated samples were prepared artificially by mixing clean sand with crude oil in the amount of 0, 1, 3, S, and 7% on mass basis. The effect of oil contamination on the ultimate bearing capacity of surface circular footing supported by sand was also studied through a series of small-scale laboratory model tests. The results obtained are analyzed and discussed.