KYAMBOGO UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL AND BUILDING
ENGINEERING

MASTERS OF SCIENCE IN STRUCTURAL

ENGINEERING

ADVANCED SOIL MECHANICS (TCS 6102)

GROUP ASSIGNMENT #2 – GROUP E

CONSOLIDATION

GROUP MEMBERS

S.NO. NAME KYU ADMISSION NO.

1 NSEREKO IVAN 21/U/GMES/14495/PE
2 NTWIRENABO COLEB 21/U/GMES/14501/PE
3 KINYERA CAMILLUS CHEM 21/U/GMES/14249/PE

PRESENTATION BY GROUP E
 QUESTION 9.13
A sample of saturated clay, taken from a depth of 5 m, was tested
in a conventional oedometer. The table below gives the vertical
effective stress and the corresponding thickness recorded during
the test.

(kPa) 100 200 400 800 1600 800 400 100

h (mm) 19.2 19.0 17.0 14.8 12.6 13.1 14.3 15.9
The water content at the end of the test was 40% and the initial
height was 20 mm.
a) Plot a graph of void ratio versus (log scale).
Assuming a specific gravity of the clay to be 2.7
Void ratio at end of the test,

12/29/2022 PRESENTATION BY GROUP E PAGE 2

 QUESTION 9.13
Where

(kPa) h (mm)
100 19.20 1.512
200 19.00 1.486
400 17.00 1.224
800 14.80 0.936
1600 12.60 0.648
800 13.10 0.714
400 14.30 0.871
100 15.90 1.080

12/29/2022 PRESENTATION BY GROUP E PAGE 3

 QUESTION 9.13
Void ratio vs Vertical Effective Stress
1.6

1.5

1.4

1.3

1.2
Void ratio

1.1

0.9

0.8

0.7

0.6
10 100 1000 10000
Vertical Effective Stress

12/29/2022 PRESENTATION BY GROUP E PAGE 4

 QUESTION 9.13
b) Determine and .
Void ratio vs Vertical Effective Stress
1.6

1.5

1.4

1.3

1.2
Void ratio

1.1

0.9

0.8

0.7

0.6
10 100 1000 10000
Vertical Effective Stress

12/29/2022 PRESENTATION BY GROUP E PAGE 5

 QUESTION 9.13

12/29/2022 PRESENTATION BY GROUP E PAGE 6

 QUESTION 9.13
c) Determine between and.

(kPa) h (mm)
100 19.20 0.040
200 19.00 0.050
400 17.00 0.150
800 14.80 0.260
1600 12.60 0.370
800 13.10 0.345
400 14.30 0.285
100 15.90 0.205

12/29/2022 PRESENTATION BY GROUP E PAGE 7

 QUESTION 9.13

Vertical Strain vs Vertical Effective Stress

0

0.04

0.08

0.12
Vertical Strain

0.16

0.2

0.24

0.28

0.32

0.36

0.4
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600
Vertical Effective Stress

12/29/2022 PRESENTATION BY GROUP E PAGE 8

 QUESTION 9.13

d) Determine the relationship between (void ratio) and

(thickness).

12/29/2022 PRESENTATION BY GROUP E PAGE 9

 QUESTION 9.13

e) Determine using Casagrande’s method.

Project the straight portion of the initial recompression curve to

intersect the backward projection of the normal consolidation line
at F, as shown in the graph below. The abscissa of F is .
Void ratio vs Vertical Effective Stress
1.6
B
1.5 F

1.4

1.3

1.2
Void ratio

1.1

0.9

0.8

0.7
A
0.6
10 100 1000 10000
Vertical Effective Stress
12/29/2022 PRESENTATION BY GROUP E PAGE 10
 QUESTION 9.22
A covered steel (unit weight ) tank, 15 m in diameter high and
with wall thickness, is filled with liquid (unit weight ) up to a
height of . The tank sits on a concrete (unit weight ) foundation,
in diameter thick. The foundation rests on the surface of a -thick
soft, normally consolidated clay above a thick layer of gravel. The
geotechnical data of the clay are: , , , and Groundwater level is
below the surface. Assume the foundation is flexible.

a) Calculate the primary consolidation settlement at the center of

the tank.

12/29/2022 PRESENTATION BY GROUP E PAGE 11

 QUESTION 9.22
  Weight Stress

Tank

Liquid in tank  

Foundation

12/29/2022 PRESENTATION BY GROUP E PAGE 12

 QUESTION 9.22
Total vertical stress,

Depth in radii,

Offset distance in radii,

12/29/2022 PRESENTATION BY GROUP E PAGE 13

 QUESTION 9.22
APPENDIX B

Vertical stress at the centre of the tank,

Primary consolidation,

12/29/2022 PRESENTATION BY GROUP E PAGE 14

 QUESTION 9.22

b) Calculate the differential consolidation settlement between the

center and the edge of the tank.

Settlement at the edge,

Vertical stress at the edge of the tank

Total vertical stress,

12/29/2022 PRESENTATION BY GROUP E PAGE 15

 QUESTION 9.22
Depth in radii,

Offset distance in radii,

12/29/2022 PRESENTATION BY GROUP E PAGE 16

 QUESTION 9.22
Vertical stress at the centre of the tank,

Primary consolidation,

Differential consolidation settlement between the center and the

edge of the tank,

12/29/2022 PRESENTATION BY GROUP E PAGE 17

 QUESTION 9.22
c) Calculate the time for 50% consolidation to occur.

d) The tank was loaded to half its capacity and kept there for 2
years. Calculate the settlement. The tank was then drained;
calculate the rebound.

Half capacity,

Vertical stress when loaded at half capacity,

12/29/2022 PRESENTATION BY GROUP E PAGE 18

 QUESTION 9.22
Vertical effective stress at the centre of the tank,

12/29/2022 PRESENTATION BY GROUP E PAGE 19

 QUESTION 9.22
The foundation is fully consolidated.

Void ratio at the end of primary consolidation,

12/29/2022 PRESENTATION BY GROUP E PAGE 20

 REFERENCES
Muni Budhu, Soil Mechanics and Foundations, 3 rd Edition

12/29/2022 PRESENTATION BY GROUP E PAGE 21