Introduction

Soils are compressible hence it will be deformed whenever stress is applied to the soils but soil minerals
and water are incompressible. Thus, the load will first acts on the pore water causing pore water pressures
which are in the excess of the hydrostatic pressures when the saturated soils are loaded. The variations in
excess pore water pressure will cause total head gradients in the soil. According to Darcys Law, the
variations in excess pore water pressures will induce water to flow from high total head locations to low
total head locations. When the water flows from the soil, the excess pore water pressures will be dissipated.
Hence, the stress will be transferred to the soil minerals which causing higher effective soil stress.
Furthermore, the dissipation of water from the soil will causes reductions in the soil volume. Fine-grained
soils such as silts and clays have very low permeability. Thus, the soils require considerable periods of time
before the excess pore water pressures are fully dissipated and this process is referred to as consolidation.

The soils are tested with an odometer test to determine the compression index. Hence, odometer test can be
used to predict the amount of consolidation. The soil will rebound when stress is removed from a
consolidated soil to regain some of the volume which had lost in the consolidation process. The soil will
consolidate again along a recompression curve when the stress is reapplied. Furthermore, the soil
considered to be over consolidated when its load removed, for example, soils which have previously had
loading on them. Preconsolidation stress is the highest stress that it has been subjected to the soils. The soil
also can be considered under consolidated if a new load is applied before the excess pore water pressure
had time to dissipate. Over consolidated ratio (OCR) is defined as the highest stress experienced which
divided by the current stress.

Undisturbed sample of a cohesive soil is used in consolidation test to determine its compressibility
characteristics. The consolidation test is conducted by using a number of load increments which the stress
range is from the initial stress state of the soil to the final stress state. The duration of the increments in the
consolidation test is 24 hours and the load is doubled in the successive increment.

Data from all the load increments are combined to draw the e versus log graph and to obtain the
compression index Cc. The coefficient of volume compressibility mv can be estimated by using the data
from a single load increment of the test. The Coefficient of consolidation, Cv is used to estimate the rate of
consolidation settlement.

There are two methods used to determine the coefficient of consolidation:

(i) Taylor or time or 90% consolidation

(ii) Casagrande or log (time) or 50% consolidation
 Equation for coefficient of consolidation,

Tv H 2
cv
t

Where,

Tv = Time factor

cv = coefficient of consolidation (m2/year)

t = Time to achieve 50% or 90% consolidation (year or minute)

H = Maximum length of drainage path (m)

Objective

To conduct one dimensional consolidation test to determine the settlements due to primary consolidation of
soil.