KYAMBOGO UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL AND BUILDING
ENGINEERING
MASTERS OF SCIENCE IN STRUCTURAL
ENGINEERING

ADVANCED STRUCTURAL MECHANICS (TCS 6103)

GROUP ASSIGNMENT – GROUP F

ONE-DIMENSIONAL CONSOLIDATION

GROUP MEMBERS

S.NO. NAME KYU ADMISSION NO.

1 ONEN STEPHEN 21/U/GMES/14569/PE
2 OTIM KELVIN KENNEDY 21/U/GMES/14593/PE
3 KWOSHABA PIDSON 21/U/GMES/14271/PE
 CONTENT

ONE-DIMENSIONAL CONSOLIDATION
LABORATORY TEST
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LABORATORY
AND FIELD CONSOLIDATION

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ONE-DIMENSIONAL CONSOLIDATION
LABORATORY TEST

OEDOMETER TEST
The one-dimensional consolidation test, called the
oedometer test, is used to find
i. Compression index(Cc),
ii. Recompression index, (Cr),
iii. Secondary Compression Index (Cα),
iv. Coefficient of Consolidation (Cv) ,
v. Modulus of Volume Change (mv), and
vi. Past Maximum Vertical Effective Stress (σ’zc) .
vii. The hydraulic conductivity, kz, can also be
calculated from the test data.
• The details of the test apparatus and the testing
procedures are described in ASTM D 2435.
• The experimental arrangement is as shown on the
next slide.

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ONE-DIMENSIONAL CONSOLIDATION
LABORATORY TEST APPARATUS

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ONE-DIMENSIONAL CONSOLIDATION
LABORATORY TEST

TEST PROCEDURE
•A disk of soil is enclosed in a stiff metal ring and
placed between two porous stones in a cylindrical
container filled with water.
• A metal load platen mounted on top of the upper
porous stone transmits the applied vertical stress
(vertical total stress) to the soil sample.

Both the metal platen and the upper porous stone

can move vertically inside the ring as the soil
settles under the applied vertical stress.
•The ring containing the soil sample can be fixed
to the container by a collar (fixed ring cell, Figure
9.12b) or is unrestrained (floating
ring cell, Figure 9.12c)

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 ONE-DIMENSIONAL CONSOLIDATION
LABORATORY TEST

TEST PROCEDURE ctd……

•Incremental loads, including unloading sequences,
are applied to the platen, and the settlement of the
soil at various fixed times under each load increment
is measured by a displacement gage.
•Each load increment is allowed to remain on the soil
until the change in settlement is negligible and the
excess porewater pressure developed under the
current load increment has dissipated.
•This usually occurs within 24 hours.
•Each load increment is doubled. The ratio of the load
increment to the previous load is called the load
increment ratio (LIR).

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 ONE-DIMENSIONAL CONSOLIDATION
LABORATORY TEST

TEST PROCEDURE ctd……

•At the end of the oedometer test, the apparatus is
dismantled and the water content of the sample is
determined.
•It is best to unload the soil sample to a small pressure
before dismantling the apparatus, because if you
remove the final consolidation load completely, a
negative excess porewater pressure that equals the
final consolidation pressure will develop.
•This negative excess porewater pressure can cause
water to flow into the soil and increase the soil’s water
content.
•Consequently, the final void ratio calculated from the
final water content will be erroneous.

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OEDOMETER TEST DEMONSTRATION

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 ONE-DIMENSIONAL CONSOLIDATION
LABORATORY TEST
Data obtained
The data obtained from the one-dimensional consolidation
test are as follows:
1)Initial height of the soil, Ho, which is fixed by the height of
the ring.
2)Current height of the soil at various time intervals under
each load (time–settlement data).
3)Water content at the beginning and at the end of the test,
and the dry weight of the soil at the end
of the test.

The above data is used to determine

i. Cc
ii. Cr
iii. Ca
iv. Cv
v. mv, and
vi. σzc.

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 Determination of the Coefficient of
Consolidation (Cv)
There are two popular methods that can be used to
calculate Cv.
The root time method.
The log time method.

Log Time Method

In the log time method, the displacement gauge
readings are plotted against the times (log scale).
The logarithm of times is arbitrary and is only used
for convenience.
A typical curve obtained is shown in the figure on
the next slide.

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Determination of the Coefficient of
Consolidation (Cv)

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 Determination of the Coefficient of
Consolidation (Cv)
Project the straight portions of the primary consolidation
and secondary compression to intersect at A. The ordinate
of A, d100, is the displacement gauge reading for 100%
primary consolidation.
Correct the initial portion of the curve to make it a
parabola. Select a time t1, point B, near the head of the
initial portion of the curve (U <60%) and then another time
t2, point C, such that t2=4t1.
Calculate the difference in displacement reading, Δd=d2-
d1, between t2 and t1. Plot a point D at a vertical distance
Δd from B. The ordinate of point D is the corrected initial
displacement gage reading, do, at the beginning of
primary consolidation.
Calculate the ordinate for 50% consolidation as
d50=(d100-do)/2. Draw a horizontal line through this point
to intersect the curve at E. The abscissa of point E is the
time for 50% consolidation, t50.

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 Determination of the Coefficient of
Consolidation (Cv)
From Fig. 9.9 obtain the time factor for 50% consolidation
which is 0.197, and from equation below obtain the
coefficient of consolidation.
where Hdr is the length of the drainage path.

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Determination of Void Ratio at the End of a
Loading Step (e)
To determine σ’zc, Cc, Cr, and C α, we need to know the
void ratio for each loading step.
Steps to be followed
1. Calculate the final void ratio, efin=wGs, where w is the
water content determined at the end of the test.
2. Calculate the total consolidation settlement of the soil
sample during the test, (Δz)fin = dfin - di, where dfin is the
final displacement gauge reading and di is the
displacement gage reading at the start of the test.
3. Back-calculate the initial void ratio, using Equation
(9.7), as

4. Calculate e for each loading step using Equation (9.6)

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Determination of the Past Maximum Vertical
Effective Stress (σ’zc)
Plot a graph of the void ratio versus the vertical effective
stress (log scale), as shown in Figure 9.16.
The past maximum vertical effective stress using a
method proposed by Casagrande (1936).

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Determination of the Past Maximum Vertical
Effective Stress (σ’zc)
The procedure, with reference to the figure on the
previous slide, is as follows:
1. Identify the point of maximum curvature, point
D, on the initial part of the curve.
2. Draw a horizontal line through D.
3. Draw a tangent to the curve at D.
4. Bisect the angle formed by the tangent and the
horizontal line at D.
5. Extend backward the straight portion of the
curve (the normal consolidation line), BA, to
intersect the bisector line at F.
6. The abscissa of F is the past maximum vertical
effective stress, σ’zc.

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Determination of the Past Maximum Vertical
Effective Stress (σ’zc)
A simpler method that is also used in practice is to project
the straight portion of the initial recompression curve to
intersect the backward projection of the normal
consolidation line at F, as shown in Figure below. The
abscissa of F is σ’zc.

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Determination of Compression and
Recompression Indices (Cc and Cr)
The slope of the normal consolidation line, BA, gives the
compression index, Cc. To determine the recompression
index, Cr, draw a line (BC) approximately midway
between the unloading and reloading curves as shown in
the figure below. The slope of this line is the
recompression index (Cr).

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Determination of the Modulus of Volume
Change (mv)
The modulus of volume compressibility, mv, is found from
plotting a curve of vertical strain versus vertical effective
stress and determining the slope, as shown in this figure.
You need the final change in height at the end of each
loading (Δz), and then you calculate the vertical strain, εz
= Δz/Ho, where Ho is the initial height.

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Determination of the Secondary Compression
Index (C α)
The secondary compression index, C α, can be found by
making a plot as shown in the figure below. The value of
C α usually varies with the magnitude of the applied loads.

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RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LABORATORY
AND FIELD CONSOLIDATION
The time factor (Tv) provides a useful expression
to estimate the settlement in the field from the
results of a laboratory consolidation test. If two
layers of the same clay have the same degree of
consolidation, then their time factors and
coefficients of consolidation are the same. Hence,

and, by simplification,

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 REFERENCES
Budhu., M. (2011). Soil mechanics and foundations (3rd
ed.). United States of America: JOHN WILEY & SONS, INC.

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THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!!!

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