CE 240

Soil Mechanics & Foundations

Lecture 9.3

Compressibility of Soil III

(Das, Ch. 10)

Vertical stress caused by a vertical line load

2qv z
z =
2
2 2
(x + z )
Vertical stress caused by a horizontal line load

2qh xz
z =
2
2 2
(x + z )

Solving Problem 9.12

2qv z
z =
2
2 2
(x + z )

Solving Problem 9.12

2qh xz
z =
2
2 2
(x + z )

Class Outline

One-dimensional consolidation test

review
Clays: normally consolidated and
over-consolidated
Effect of disturbance on void ratiopressure relationship

1- D Consolidation Test
The main purpose of consolidation tests is to
obtain soil data which is used in predicting the
rate and amount of settlement of structures
founded on clay.
The four most important soil properties found by
a consolidation test are:
The pre-consolidation stress, p, This is the
maximum stress that the soil has felt in the past.
The compression index, Cc , which indicates the
compressibility of a normally-consolidated soil.
The recompression index, Cr , which indicates the
compressibility of an over-consolidated soil.
The coefficient of consolidation, cv , which indicates
the rate of compression under a load increment.

Laboratory Consolidation Test

Laboratory Consolidation Test

v

1 Place sample in ring

2 Apply load
3 Measure height change
4 Repeat for new load

Confining
stress

Vv

Voids

Vs

Solids
Before

Vv

V
Voids

Vs

Solids
After

Test Results
Cr
B

Cc

Clays: normally consolidated and overconsolidated

During the geological history, clays at depth
might experience higher overburden
pressure p (so that also higher effective
overburden pressure p) than the present
overburden (p=Z). For example, erosion of
the surface soil layers can make a clay layer
become shallower and closer to the surface.

When the effective pressure applied is less

than the maximum effective overburden
pressure in the field, a small amount of
elastic pressure will occur.
When the effective pressure applied is
greater than the maximum effective
overburden pressure in the field, the change
in void ratio is much larger and make the elog curve is practically linear and steep.

In the initial phase,

relatively great change
in pressure only results
in less change in void
ratio e. The reason is
part of the pressure got
to compensate the
(elastic) expansion (of
the solid particles) when
the soil specimen was
sampled. In the following
phase e changes at a
great rate.

load

unload
reload

This phenomenon can

be verified by the loadunload-reload process
in lab consolidation
experiment.
In the unload portion,
Segment cd contains
the elastic deformation,
and Segment da is the
part that cannot be
recovered so that is the
plastic part of the
deformation.

1, find a where the radius of curvature is

minimum;
2, draw horizontal line ab;
3, draw the tangent line ac;
4, draw the bisector line ad;
5, project the straight line gh back to ad
and the point location is f;
6 the horizontal axis location of f is the
preconsolidation pressure c;

Effect of disturbance on void

ratio-pressure relationship

4
1
3

1, max

2, field value

4 (parallel to segment 3)

The field consolidation

plot will take a path
hjk, the recompression
path in the field is hj,
which is parallel to the
rebound curve.

Reading Assignment:
Das, Ch. 10