Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	GR/R73256/01
Title:	Advanced Laboratory Characterisation of London Clay
Principal Investigator:	Coop, Professor MR
Other Investigators:	Hight, Professor DW Jardine, Professor R
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:	British Airports Authority (BAA)
Department:	Civil & Environmental Engineering
Organisation:	Imperial College London
Scheme:	Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts:	01 March 2002	Ends:	31 July 2005	Value (£):	408,456
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Ground Engineering
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Construction
Related Grants:
Panel History:
Summary on Grant Application Form
Despite its importance to UK geotechnical engineering, to date the behaviour of London clay has only been investigated in a piecemeal fashion. There has been no comprehensive investigation made of its behaviour through laboratory testing using advanced modern apparatus as there has been, for example, for the Bothkennar site. The construction of Terminal 5 at Heathrow presents a unique opportunity to fill this gap. BAA have funded two deep boreholes with continuous high quality core covering almost the entire depth of the London clay at the site and have agreed to provide block samples from a number of depths when the main excavations are made for the terminal. The aim of this project is to use these samples to provide a complete characterisation of the London clay over the entire range of depths, linking the engineering behaviour to the varying geological origins and history of thi soil. The testing programme will.examine a wide range of issues, some of which have not previously been addressed for London clay and some of which are the subject of current debate. It is intended that the results should be both of practical relevance and of interest to researchers, particularly those developing numerical models of London clay. The identification of units within the clay from the engineering geological description and from a piezocone profile will enable the results of the investigation to be extrapolated to other sites in the London region, so enabling ground engineering withi the London clay to be improved in many respects.
Key Findings
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Further Information:
Organisation Website:	http://www.imperial.ac.uk