CONSOLIDATION TEST

Purpose
To establish an empirical relationship between incremental loading and the
magnitude and rate of consolidation for a fine-grained soil. The two specific
properties to be determined are called the compression index and the coefficient
of consolidation.

EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES

1. One-dimensional (vertical) loading device (Figure 1)
2. Consolidometer (Figure 1)
3. Soil trimming and cutting tools
4. 3 numbered water content dishes
5. Balance, capacity 500g, sensitive to 0.01g
6. Oven set at 105°C
7. Timer, sensitive to 1 second
8. Filter papers to fit consolidometer
9. Distilled or de-mineralized water
10. Wet paper towel,

SOIL
1. Remoulded clay

PROCEDURE

Laboratory Work

1. Examine the loading device and dismantle the consolidometer.

2. Record all test data, where appropriate, as indicated in Tables 1 and 2.
3. Saturate the filter papers; shake off the excess water, determine the masses
and record in Table 1.
4. Saturate the porous stones.
5. Obtain a specimen of soil sample and place the ring on top of it with the cutting
edge in contact with the soil. Slowly force the cutting edge of the ring into
the soil while trimming away the excess soil uniformly around the perimeter.
Continue pressing the ring into the soil and trimming until the soil protrudes
through the ring.

1,4

1
6. Trim some of the soil from each end of the ring for water content
determinations. Record in Table 2.

7. Trim the soil flush with each end of the consolidation ring. Using

wet paper towels, wipe off any soil on the outside of the ring.

9. Place the wet filter papers on each end of the ring.

10. Determine the mass of the ring, soil and two wet filter papers. Record in
Tables 2 and 3.

11. Place the ring in the consolidometer, center and secure with the hold-down
collar and bolts.

12. Add just sufficient distilled or de-mineralized water to the

consolidometer to keep the bottom porous stone saturated. Add a few drops of
water to the top porous stone.

13. Bring the loading just in contact with the top of the consolidometer.

14. Set the dial gauge in place and take an initial reading. Record in Table 4.

15. Apply the first increment of load, start the timer and take dial readings as
indicated in Table 4.

16. After the 64 minutes reading, fill the consolidometer with water flooding the
soil specimen. This may result in a slight swelling of the soil as reflected
in the dial readings. The soil having lost some water by evaporation during the
first part of the test, now absorbs water.

17. After a minimum of 24 hours, take a final reading on the dial gauge. Apply
the next load increment, start the timer and take reading as before.

18. Add at least four or more increments of load at intervals of 24 hours. A typical
range of load increments is as follow:

6, 12, 25, 50, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 kPa.

19. After taking the final reading for the last load increment, remove the last
load increment.
20. After a minimum of 24 hours, take a final reading and record in Table 4. Remove
another load increment.

21. Continue taking final readings and removing loads until all loads have been
removed.

22. Remove the consolidation ring. Determine the mass of the ring, wet soil
specimen and the two filter papers. Record in Table 3.

23 Place the ring, soil specimen and two filter papers in the oven to dry for
24 hours or to constant mass.

24. Determine the mass of the ring, the oven dry soil specimen and the two dry
filter papers. Record in Table 3.

25. Complete the water content calculations in Table 3.

26. Using the data recorded in Table 4, plot a graph of dial reading against the
square root of time in minutes for each load increment.

27. Using the data record in Table 4, plot' a graph of dial reading against time in
minutes on a base of 10 logarithmic scale.

28. Using Table 5, calculate the initial and final void ratio of the soil
specimen after each load increment.

29. From the data in Table 5, where applicable, plot a graph of void ratio against
vertical stress on the soil specimen for both the loading and unloading part of the
test.

30. Using the information in the tables and from the graphs, summarize the
result in Table 6, where applicable.
Figure 1: One Dimensional Odeometer Test and accessories