Settlement Analysis

STABILITY
DURING CONSTRUCTION
STAGED CONSTRUCTION:
TYPICALLY IN TWO TO THREE STAGES AND
COMPLETED IN ONE OR TWO CONSTRUCTION
SEASONS (REMEMBER THAT WE CANNOT INSTALL
WICK DRAINS IF THE GROUND IS FROZEN AND WE
USUALLY DO NOT PLACE FILL DURING THE WINTER)

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 STABILITY
DURING CONSTRUCTION
STAGED CONSTRUCTION:
TYPICAL STAGES IN CENTRAL AND NORTHERN
ONTARIO:
•STAGE 1: 0 TO 8m, WAIT FOR 3 MONTHS
•STAGE 2: 8 TO 12m, WAIT FOR 3 MONTHS
•STAGE 3: 12 TO 14m, WAIT FOR 3 MONTHS
BEFORE REMOVING SURCHARGE

Loaded Soil will Compress Due to:

1. Deformation of soil grains (elastic)
Degree water saturation <1
2. Compression of air and water in voids
3. Squeezing out of water and air out of
voids
4. Plastic flow (creep)
Degree water saturation =1
5. Compression of water (very small)
6. Squeezing out of water out of voids
7. Plastic flow (creep)

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For Load Problems Need to Answer
‡ How much settlement will occur due to an
applied load?
„ Magnitude of consolidations
‡ How long will it take for settlement to
occur?
„ Time rate of consolidation

EMBANKMENT SETTLEMENT

IMMEDIATE (“ELASTIC”)

PRIMARY CONSOLIDATION (ASSOCIATED WITH

DISSIPATION OF EXCESS PORE PRESSURES)

SECONDARY CONSOLIDATION (ASSOCIATED WITH

REARRANGEMENT OF PARTICLES)

CREEP (ASSOCIATED WITH SHEAR STRESS-STRAIN)

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 EMBANKMENT SETTLEMENT

IT IS IMPORTANT TO RECOGNIZE THE IMPACT OF

DIFFERENT TYPES OF SETTLEMENTS ON THE
PROJECT:

SETTLEMENTS THAT OCCUR DURING

CONSTRUCTION (PRIOR TO DRIVING PILES AT THE
BRIDGE ABUTMENTS AND PRIOR TO CONSTRUCTION
OF THE BRIDGE)

POST CONSTRUCTION SETTLEMENTS (HAVE

SERIOUS COST IMPLICATIONS: BRIDGE AND
PAVEMENT PERFORMANCE)

EMBANKMENT SETTLEMENT

WE USUALLY DESIGN THE EMBANKMENT SO THAT:

IMMEDIATE SETTLEMENTS AND SETTLEMENTS DUE

TO PRIMARY CONSOLIDATION OCCUR DURING
CONSTRUCTION

AND SETTLEMENTS DUE TO SECONDARY

CONSOLIDATION AND CREEP OCCUR AFTER THE
END OF CONSTRUCTION

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 EMBANKMENT SETTLEMENT
IMMEDIATE SETTLEMENTS

USUALLY NOT A KEY ISSUE:

USE CLOSED FORM SOLUTIONS BASED ON THE

THEORY OF ELASTICITY WITH CONSERVATIVE
UNDRAINED SOILS PROPERTIES

ALTERNATIVELY, CARRY OUT NUMERICAL

SIMULATION USING TOTAL STRESS ANALYSIS WITH
UNDRAINED SOIL PROPERTIES

EMBANKMENT SETTLEMENT
PRIMARY CONSOLIDATION

TERZAGHI’S 1D THEORY OF CONSOLIDATION

KEY ASSUMPTIONS:
•CONSTANT VERTICAL TOTAL STRESS AND
ELASTIC PROPERTIES DURING CONSOLIDATION
•VERTICAL DRAINAGE ONLY
•NO LATERAL STRAINING OF THE SOIL
(OEDOMETER TESTING)

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 EMBANKMENT SETTLEMENT
PRIMARY CONSOLIDATION

THE THEORY IS COMMONLY USED BECAUSE:

•IT IS SIMPLE (IT CAN EASILY BE INCORPORATED IN
A FINITE DIFFERENCE FORMULATION)
•IT PROVIDES REASONABLE PREDICION OF
SETTLEMENT OF WIDE EMBANKMENTS FOUNDED
ON RELATIVELY THIN CLAY LAYER

OEDOMETRIC CONDITIONS

Spring Analogy to Soil Consolidation

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 q=P/A Δσv’

Soil Vertical Stress

P

z
σ v’

z
σ v’ Δσv’

Spring Analogy to Soil Consolidation

Immediate settlement

Note: porewater pressure

increased by Δu = ue

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Spring Analogy

Smax occurs when Δu = 0

Change in volume in container =

volume of water removed if Srw=1

t=1, ue=100%

Oedometer Test
t=2, ue=50%
hw = Δσ/γw
Δσ=P/A

t=0, ue=0%, t=∞

Record for each stress

increment (Δσ):
Change in height of
specimen with time

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 Typical
Stress
Increment
Test Data

Casagrande Log Time Method

U = degree of pore water pressure dissipated

R=0 ue=100%, U = 0%

R=50 ue=50%, U = 50%

ue=0%, U=100%
R=100

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Casagrande Log Time Method

Root
Time
Method

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Settlement Calculations

Δe ΔH=s

e0 voids
water ef voids
H0 & Hf
solids

1 solids 1
solids

Initial Final

Consolidation Settlement Calculations

εv = ΔH/H0 = s/H0= Δe/1+e0

s = εv H0= (Δe/1+e0) H0

Note: Want settlement @ U=100%

100% dissipation of excess porewater pressure

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U100 Data for Stress Increments

mv= Δεv/Δσv’ av= -Δe/Δσv’

Coef. Volume change (mv) Coef. Of compressibility (av)

U100 Data for Stress Increments

Compression Index (Cc)

e1 cc= Δe/(logσ2’- logσ1’)

cc =(e1-e2)/log (σ2’/σ1’)
If σ2’ = σ1’+Δσ
cc =Δe/log
e2 [(σ1’+Δσ)/σ1’]
Δσ
e1 =2.4, e2=1.4 Δe = 1.0
σ’1 σ’2
σ’1=7.1, σ’2=49
cc = 1.0/(log49-log7.1) = 1.19

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Settlement Equation in Terms of mv
S = εvHo
Δε v
mv = (1/kPa = m 2 /kN)
Δσ '
H
S = ∫ m v Δσ ' dz
0

if m v and Δσ ' are assumed constant with depth then

S = m v Δσ ' H

Settlement Equation in Terms of av

Δe
S = εvHo = H
1 + eo
Δe
av = (1/kPa = m 2 /kN)
Δσ '
H
a
S = ∫ v Δ σ ' dz
0
1 + eo
if a v and Δ σ ' are assumed constant w ith depth then
av
S= Δσ ' H = m v Δσ ' H
1 + eo
av
therefore m v =
1 + eo

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Settlement Equation in Terms of cc
Δe
S = εvHo = H
1 + eo
Δe
cc =
σ2' Note: cc = 0.009(LL-10)
log
σ1'
cc σ ' c ⎛ σ '+ Δσ ⎞
S= H log 2 = c H log⎜⎜ 1 ⎟⎟
1 + eo σ 1 ' 1 + eo ⎝ σ1' ⎠

Settlement due to Δσ
Stotal = S r + S c
Cr σ' C σ'
S r = S rebound = H 0 log( 2 ) = r H 0 log( c )
1 + e0 σ '1 1 + e0 σ '1
note : for this case σ '1 = 0
Cc σ' C σ ' + Δσ
Sc = H 0 log( 2 ) = c H 0 log( c )
1 + e0 σ '1 1 + e0 σ 'c

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Over Consolidation Ratio (OCR)

σ 'c
OCR =
σ'
where :
OCR = Over Consolidation Ratio
σ 'c = preconsolidation pressure of a specimen
σ ' = present (field) effective overburben pressure

Over Consolidation Ratio (OCR)

σ’ σ’c Log σ’

σ 'c
efield =e0 OCR =
σ'

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Determination of σc’

See Das for procedure

Note σc’ is not a distinct point

Over Consolidation Ratio (OCR)

‡ If OCR ≤ 1.2 σ’c ~ σ’ then soil is normally
consolidated

‡ If OCR ≥ 1.2 then soil over consolidated

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 EMBANKMENT SETTLEMENT
PRIMARY CONSOLIDATION
1D THEORY OF CONSOLIDATION TIME-INDEPENDENT ANALYSIS
COMPRESSION INDEX LOG EFFECTIVE STRESS

1 PRECONSOLIDATION
Cr PRESSURE( pc)

H*C σf’
ΔH = Log ( ) 1
VOID RATIO

1 + eo σi’
Cc

EMBANKMENT SETTLEMENT
PRIMARY CONSOLIDATION
1D THEORY OF CONSOLIDATION TIME-INDEPENDENT ANALYSIS
INITIAL STRESS
LOG TOTAL STRESS

FINAL STRESS
VOID RATIO

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 EMBANKMENT SETTLEMENT
PRIMARY CONSOLIDATION
1D THEORY OF CONSOLIDATION TIME-DEPENDENT ANALYSIS
INITIAL STRESS
LOG TOTAL STRESS

FINAL STRESS

UNDRAINED LOADING:
VOID RATIO

•PORE PRESSURE GENERATION

•NO CHANGE IN EFFECTIVE STRESSES
•NO SETTLEMENT

EMBANKMENT SETTLEMENT
PRIMARY CONSOLIDATION
1D THEORY OF CONSOLIDATION TIME-DEPENDENT ANALYSIS
INITIAL STRESS
LOG TOTAL STRESS

FINAL STRESS

DRAINED LOADING:
VOID RATIO

•PORE PRESSURE DISSIPATION

•INCREASE IN EFFECTIVE STRESSES
•SETTLEMENT

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