CONSOLIDATION

TEST

Consolidation Settlement
It occurs due to the process of the consolidation.
Clay and Organic soil are most prone to consolidation

settlement.
Consolidation is the process of reduction in volume
due to lost of water under an increased load.
It is a time related process occurring in saturated soil
by draining water from void.
It is often confused with Compaction.
Consolidation theory is required to predict both rate
and magnitude of settlement.

What is Consolidation?

When a saturated soil is loaded externally, the

water is squeezed out of the soil and the soil
shrinks, over a long time may be up to several
years depending upon the permeability of the soil.
This whole phenomena is called consolidation.

Concept of Consolidation
As the time passes, the water comes out of the
soil void and so the volume of soil decreases, this
is cause of the settlement.

The decrease in volume of soil = The volume of

squeezed out water

Settlement due to
consolidation

Settlement is the vertically downward movement

of structure due to the shrinkage in volume of
soil due to consolidation

Settlement-Void ratio
Relation

Equating the two expression for average vertical

strain,

Settlement vs. Time

This leads to settlement occurring over a long time,
which could be several years, depending upon the
permeability of the soil

Oedometer test
The soil characteristics during one-dimensional
consolidation or swelling can be determined by
the oedometer test.
Anoedometer
testmeasures
a
soil'sconsolidation properties.
Oedometer tests are performed by applying
different loads to a soil sample and measuring
the deformation response.
The results from these tests are used to predict
how a soil in the field will deform in response to
a change in effective stress.

OEDOMETER
TEST
EQUIPMENT

Concept
Oedometer tests are designed to simulate the onedimensional deformation and drainage conditions that
soils experience in the field.
To simulate these conditions, rigid confining rings are
used to prevent lateral displacement of the soil sample.
Porous stones are placed on the top and bottom of the
sample to allow drainage in the vertical direction.
To better simulate one-dimensional strain, a diameter-toheight ratio in the sample of 3:1 or more is used. Because
the process of consolidation involves movement of water
out of a soil, it is important to prevent drying of the soil

METHOD TO DETERMINE THE

COEFFICIENT OF CONSOLIDATION
There are two methods for determining the coefficient
of consolidation:
i. Casagrande or log (time) or 50% consolidation
ii. Taylor or time or 90% consolidation
The coefficient of consolidation can be determined by
this equation,

Taylor method

Casagrande method

Result Example