Durability of shales in Narldere, .zmir, Turkey, with an emphasis on the impact of water on slaking behavior

Flysch facies rocks occur widely around .zmir city center in western Turkey. Major engineering structures, such as large housing complexes, motorways, and underground tunnels, are being built in and around .zmir city, which are partially on these rock types. Shales when weathered and loosened are troublesome in many respects of engineering practice. Shales slake on exposure to the atmosphere. A series of slake durability tests were carried out on different shale types to determine their susceptibility to weathering and their long-term behavior in excavations. Various shale types were differentiated by field observations and laboratory tests (thin section, chemical, and X-ray analysis). Additionally, the physical and mechanical properties were determined of different grades of weathered shale samples taken from the study area. The point of these studies was to determine the susceptibility of the shales when exposed to air and water by excavations, and their stability in the excavations is discussed.