Consolidation of Soil
Presented by
Group 9
K. Preetham(2201CE45)
Priyadarshni Sinha (2201CE46)
Priyanshu Aryan (2201CE47)
Pulkit Upadhyay (2201CE48)
Rabi Kumar Shaw (2201CE49)
Overview
What is Consolidation
Types of Settlement
Compaction vs Consolidation
CONTENTS 1-Dimensional Consolidation Test
Normally, Under and Over- Consolidated
Soils
Terzaghi’s One-dimensional
Consolidation Theory
Determination of Coefficients of
Consolidation
Importance of Consolidation
Sinking of Joshimath
World’s fastest sinking
city: Jakarta
What is
Consolidation?
According to Terzaghi, “Every process involving
in a decrease of the water content of a saturated
soil without replacement of water by air is called
Consolidation.”
Compaction vs
Consolidation
• Compression of soil by the expulsion of • Compression of soil by the expulsion
air from the voids of the soil of water from the voids of the soil
• Quick process • Slow process
• Short-term loading is required. • Long-term loading is required.
• Loading applied in a dynamic way • Loading is static and constant.
• The degree of saturation of soil to be • The degree of saturation of soil to be
compacted should be less than 100%. consolidated should be 100%.
• It is done before the construction of • It begins naturally with the
the structure. construction work.
• To construct roads, embankments, etc., • The foundation soil properties will
compaction is useful. improve over a long period due to
consolidation.
Types of
Settleme • Immediate
nt: Settlement
• Primary
Settlement
• Secondary
Settlement
1. Immediate Settlement
If the soil is initially partially saturated, the expulsion of air, as well
as the compulsion of pore air, may take place; this is called initial
compression.
2. Primary Consolidation
Occurs due to the expulsion of excess pore water pressure generated due to an
increase in total stress.
It is a time dependent phenomenon.
Magnitude of Settlement depends on:
Compressibility of the soil
Magnitude of stress increase
Thickness of soil layer
3. Secondary Consolidation
Change in the volume of fine-grained soil due to
rearrangement of soil particles at constant effective stress.
Total Consolidation =
Immediate Compression
+
Primary Consolidation
+
Secondary Consolidation
1-Dimensional
Consolidation Test
(Oedometer Test)
Procedure
• The soil is loaded in increments of vertical stress
• Under each increment of loading, soil is allowed to
consolidate till there is no or little compression.
• The compression reading is noted at suitable intervals
during this period. This gives the time rate of
consolidation.
• After the end of increment period, when excess pore
water pressure has dissipated completely, the applied
pressure becomes effective stress in the specimen.
• The 24 hours reading gives the final compression under Source : GW notes by Badal Soni Sir
each stress increment.
• After one increment kept for around 24 hours, the next increment is applied, and the same procedure as discussed above is
repeated.
• After the consolidation under last stress increment is complete, specimen is unloaded in 2-3 stages and the soil is allowed to
swell.
• Only the final swelled reading are taken at each unloading stage.
• After Complete unloading the soil specimen is taken out, dried in the oven to obtain dry weight of solids and the final water
content.
e vs e vs log(
Source : GW notes by Badal Soni Sir
Normally, Under and Over
Consolidated Soil
• Normally Consolidated Soil : A soil that has never subjected to a
vertical effective stress greater than the present vertical stress.
• Under consolidated Soil : A soil that has not consolidated under
the present effective stress is called Under Consolidated Soil.
• Over Consolidated Soil : A soil that has been subjected to vertical
effective stress greater than the present vertical effective stress.
Coefficients Symbol Formula
Coefficient of Compressibility 𝑎𝑉 Δⅇ
Δ𝜎
Δⅇ
Coefficient of Compression (NC)
𝐶𝑐 (
log
𝜎+Δ 𝜎
𝜎 )
Δⅇ
Coefficient of recompression (OC) 𝐶𝑟 (
log
𝜎+Δ 𝜎
𝜎 )
Coefficient of Consolidation 𝐶𝑉
Coefficient of Volume
Compressibility
𝑚𝑉 𝑎𝑣
1 +𝑒0
Terzaghi’s One Dimensional
Consolidation Theory
The rate of consolidation is directly proportional to the rate of dissipation of excess
pore water pressure. Therefore, in order to predict the time rate of consolidation a
mathematical theory was proposed by Terzaghi for one dimensional consolidation.
This theory predicts the excess pore water pressure at any elapsed time and any
location.
Assumptions:
• The soil is homogeneous and fully saturated.
• Soil particles and water are incompressible.
• Darcy's law for the velocity of flow of water through soil is perfectly valid.
• Coefficient of permeability(k) is constant during the process.
• Soil is laterally confined so that the compression is one dimensional.
• Excess pore water drains out only in a vertical direction.
• Linear relationship between effective pressure and void ratio exist are constant for every
stage of consolidation.
• The time log of consolidation is due entirely to the low permeability of soil, and thus the
secondary consolidation is disregarded.
Differential equation proposed by Terzaghi for 1-D Consolidation is:
2
𝜕𝑢 𝜕𝑢
=𝐶 𝑣 2
𝜕𝑡 𝜕𝑧
u : excess pore water pressure at any time ‘t’ and at any location ‘z’
Cv : Coefficient of Consolidation
Solution of Terzaghi’s 1-D Consolidation Equation:
It is done rigorously using Fourier Series expansion
The progress of consolidation can be shown by plotting a series of curves of u against z for
various times ‘t’. Such curves are known as isochrones.
Determination of
Coefficient of
Consolidation ()
1.
Casagrande’s
logarithm of
time fitting
method
50 2
𝑇 𝐻
𝑣
𝐶𝑣 =
𝑡 50
2. Taylor’s
Square root
of time
fitting
method
90 2
𝑇 𝑣 𝐻
𝐶𝑣 =
𝑡 90
Importance of
Consolidation
Consolidation of soil is important for construction and stability.
Here's why:
• Support for Structures : Ensures that soil beneath structure is
compacted and stable
• Prevention of Settlement
• Ensuring Structural Integrity : Consolidated soil provides a
firm foundation for
structures, ensuring their
structural integrity and
longevity
Why?
How can
Consolidation of Soil
explain this?
Geological Setting
Ground water
REASONS exploitation
Anthropogenic
pressure
Water infiltration
Consolidation in
Palm Jumeirah
Construction
•Land Reclamation: Dredged sand from the Persian
Gulf used to create the island.
•Consolidation Process: Natural settling aided by
sand’s high permeability, ensuring tighter packing
and water expulsion.
•Controlled Loading: Additional weight simulated
future constructions, promoting pre-construction
settlement.
•Monitoring: Continuous checks on settlement and
adjustments for ground stability.
•Engineering Solutions: Breakwaters built for erosion
control; infrastructure designed for land movement
accommodation.
•Outcome: Stable foundation supporting extensive
Thank You
References
• Professor Ramakrishna Bag Sir’s lecture notes
• Gate wallah notes by Badal Soni Sir
• https://cdn.hswstatic.com/gif/dubai-palm-island-1.jpg
• https://www.ulektznews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Intr
oduction-to-Soil-Mechanics.png
• https://im.indiatimes.in/content/2022/Apr/getty-images_6250
059d7a51b.jpg?w=640&h=360&cc=1&webp=1&q=75
• https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TufZ9_DgWYI/sddefault.jpg?v=64d531c
1
• https://images.moneycontrol.com/static-mcnews/2023/01/17-
WHAT-IS-HAPPENING-IN-JOSHIMATH.jpg
• https://civiltoday.com/geotechnical-engineering/foundation-en
gineering/74-difference-between-soil-compaction-and-consoli
dation
