Settlement of Soils

CE 401 – GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING

Reminders
Consolidation Settlement

 Structures are built on soils.

 They transfer loads to the subsoil through the foundations.
 The effect of the loads is felt by the soil normally up to a depth of
about four times the width of the foundation.
 The soil within this depth gets compressed due to the imposed
stresses.
 The compression of the soil mass leads to the decrease in the
volume of the mass which results in the settlement of the structure.
Settlement

 Settlement is defined as the compression of a soil layer due to the

loading applied at or near its top surface.
 A stress increase caused by the construction of foundations or other
loads compresses soil layers.
 The compression is caused by
(a) deformation of soil particles,
(b) relocations of soil particles, and
(c) expulsion of water or air from the void spaces.
Settlement

In general, the soil settlement caused by loads may be

divided into three broad categories:

1. Elastic settlement (or immediate settlement),

-> which is caused by the elastic deformation of dry
soil and of moist and saturated soils without any change
in the moisture content.

2. Primary consolidation settlement

-> which is the result of a volume change in
saturated cohesive soils because of expulsion of the
water that occupies the void spaces.
 Settlement

In general, the soil settlement caused by loads may be

divided into three broad categories:

3. Secondary consolidation settlement

-> which is observed in saturated cohesive soils and
is the result of the plastic adjustment of soil fabrics. It is
an additional form of compression that occurs at
constant effective stress.
Settlement

 The total settlement of a foundation can then be given as

Consolidation Settlement

 Normally Consolidated Soil

 A soil that has never experienced a vertical effective stress that was
greater than its present vertical effective stress is called a normally
consolidated (NC) soil.

 Over Consolidated Soil

 A soil that has experienced a vertical effective stress that was greater
than its present vertical effective stress is called an over consolidated
(OC) soil.
Primary Consolidation Settlement of
Normally Consolidated Fine Grained Soils
Primary Consolidation Settlement of
Over Consolidated Fine Grained Soils
Over consolidation Ratio, OCR

 The overconsolidation ratio (OCR) is a qualitative indicator of this

densification or stiffening of the soil, and it is defined as the ratio of
the maximum overburden stress ever experienced by the soil (i.e.,
with the ice sheet on top) to the present overburden stress (i.e.,
without the ice sheet).
Compression Index, CC
Swell Index, CS
Problem No.1
 A soil profile is shown. Calculate the settlement for a surcharged of
75 kN/m² applied at the ground surface.
Problem No.2

 Calculate the primary

consolidation settlement of
the 3 meter thick clay layer
that will result from the load
carried by a 1.5 m square
footing. The clay is normally
consolidated.
 Problem No.3
 A square footing 3m x 3m carries a column load of
3500 KN resting on the sand layer as shown. Cs = 0.04
due to pre-consolidation pressure. Cc = 0.35 for
primary compression index. Assume a vertical stress
distribution of 2V to 1H.

1. Compute the pre-consolidation pressure, Pc when

the over consolidation ratio is 2.0.
2. Compute the total effective stress at the center of
the clay layer.
3. Calculate the settlement due to consolidation of the
clay layer which is over consolidated.
Secondary Settlement

 At the end of primary consolidation (that is, after complete

dissipation of excess pore water pressure) some settlement is
observed because of the plastic adjustment of soil fabrics, which is
usually termed creep.

 This stage of consolidation is called secondary consolidation.

Secondary Consolidation

𝐶α = Secondary Compression
Index

Δe = change in void ratio

𝑡1 and 𝑡2 = time

𝑒𝑝 = void ratio at the end of

primary consolidation

𝑒𝑝 = 𝑒𝑜 - Δe
H = Thickness of clay layer