CE 332

GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING I

Lecture 5: Compaction vs. Consolidation

Mrs Honoria Homu-Hedziga
Room 116
Compaction vs. Consolidation
• Compaction is the process of expulsion of air from the
void in the soil through compression. It is an instant process
• Consolidation is the expulsion of water from the voids in
the soil also through compression. Consolidation is a slow
and natural process
• Compaction uses mechanical pressure to compress the soil
for the purpose of soil improvement
• Consolidation uses steady and static pressure to compress
saturated soil
• Dynamic loads by rapid mechanical methods are applied
for a short interval in soil compaction
• Static and sustained loading is applied for long intervals in
soil consolidation
Compaction vs. Consolidation
• The volume of soil is reduced by removal of air voids from
saturated or dry soil during compaction
• In consolidation, the soil volume is reduced by squeezing
out pore water from the saturated soil
• Compaction can be used for all soil types, however it is
mainly used for sandy soil
• Consolidation is mainly used for clayey soil
• Compaction is intentionally done to produce a high unit
weight of soil and consequently improve other soil
properties. Dry density increases but water content remains
the same
• Consolidation is a natural process where soil below a
structure is compacted by transferred load to the soil
through the provided foundation system
Compaction
Compaction and Consolidation are the methods of
compressibility of soil. Both are soil improvement techniques.
•Compaction is an artificial instantaneous process whereby
the volume of voids in the soil is reduced due to the expulsion
of air.
•For compaction, the degree of saturation should be less than
one (Sr <1) which means soil should be partially saturated
where there is water and air in the soil
•Compaction can be done before construction by mechanical
means such as rolling, tamping and vibration
•The aim of compaction is to achieve maximum dry density at
optimum moisture content
•Both cohesive and non-cohesive soil can be compacted
•Compaction is a one stage process and can be controlled
Advantages of Compaction
•Makes soil hard and stiff
•Increases unit weight and effective stress
•Increases the shear strength of soil
•Increases the bearing capacity of soil
•Decreases permeability and compressibility of soil
•Reduces frost damage
•Reduces the cross-sectional area of the required footing
•Necessary for the construction of roads, runways, dams and
other engineering structures
Consolidation
•Consolidation reduces the volume of voids in the soil due to the
expulsion of pore water. Simply put, water is removed from voids
•It is a natural process which is time-dependent
•For consolidation, the degree of saturation should be one (Sr =1)
meaning the soil must be fully saturated, and only water is present
in the soil voids
•Consolidation cannot be done before construction
•Consolidation occurs naturally due to the structural loads from the
foundation
•Consolidation applies to only cohesive soils, especially low
permeable clay
•Consolidation is a two-stage process involving primary and
secondary consolidation
•Consolidation starts after compaction. As it is a natural process, it
cannot be controlled