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Tin& C. M. R., Sills, G. C. & Wijeyesekera, D. C. (1994). Ghotechnique 44, No.

1, 101-109

Development
C. M. R. TING*,

of KO in soft soils

G. C. SILLSt,

Larticle pr6sente des Ctudes de la dktermination de


K, , coefilcient du poids lateral des terres au repos,
pour un kaolin mou soumis i une consolidation
unidimensionnelle pouvant atteiodre 150 kPa. LJn
consolidom&tre, P capteurs ii diaphragmes afileurants, a et& relii! zi un sysdme pilotb par un microprocesseur permettant de contrBller le gradient de
consolidation. Des &hantillons de kaolin remariirs
et artificiellement sCdiment&s dans de Ieau distillb
et dans de leau de mer ont &ti!utili&s dans le programme expbrimental. Les r&ultats exp&imentaux montrent que K, nest pas constant et quil
varie linbairement avec lindice des vides. II semble
que les corritlations empiriques traditionnelles entre
K,, et Iangle de frottement $ peuvent exister pour
de faibles niveau de contrainte si lon suppose que
$I est plus grand pour les faibles contraintes effectives que pour les contraintes plus elevbes.

This Paper presents observations of the develop


ment of K,, the coefficient of lateral earth pressure at rest, in a soft kaolin undergoing
one-dimensional consolidation up to 150 kPa. A
consolidometer with flush diaphragm transducers
was linked to a system controlled by microprocessor for controlled gradient consolidation.
Remoulded and artificially sedimented samples of
kaolin in distilled and sea water chemistry were
used in the experimental programme. Experimental observations indicate that K,, is not a constant
but varies linearly with void ratio. It is suggested
that the traditional empirical correlations between
K, and friction angle + may be applicable at low
stress levels, given that $ may be higher at low
effective stress levels than at higher values.
KEYWORDS:

and D. C. WIJEYESEKERAf

clays; consoldation; earth pressure;

laboratory tests.

INTRODUCTION

important parameter in the design and analysis of


earth retaining
structures,
piles, slope stability
and so on. However, information on the development of K, in soft soils is limited by the difficulty
of sample handling and measurements
under the
strictly defined condition of no lateral deformation.
Nevertheless, there are published research measurements of K, with various methods chosen to
provide the zero lateral strain condition. These
methods fall into two distinct classes. The first
uses a rigid lateral boundary
(consolidometer
type) which provides the required lateral strain
condition,
but also allows undefined
friction
between the wall and the consolidating
soil. The
second uses a flexible lateral boundary with feedback systems to maintain
the position
of the
boundaries (triaxial type). The advantage of this
is that there is no side friction, but the disadvantage is that the best that can be achieved for the
soil sample is zero mean lateral strain.
Within these two classes of experimental conditions there is a wide range of approaches. Newlin
(1965) and Edit & Dhowian (1981) used strain
gauges on the thin oedometer
wall. Brooker &
Ireland (1965) and Singh, Henkel & Sangrey
(1973) developed a system of null strain condition
by regulating the hydraulic pressure behind a thin

The significance of the horizontal effective stress


in geotechnical analysis is increasingly being recognized in modern geotechnical
theories such as
critical state theory, where the mean normal
stress plays an important
role in describing the
stress history of the soil and in the analysis of its
behaviour.
Field instruments
such as the cone
penetrometer,
the pressuremeter
and the dilatometer are influenced largely by the horizontal
in situ stress, and may provide a way of measuring its value. The particular
condition
of zero
lateral strain may often be assumed to exist in a
soil foundation before the application of a load or
construction
of a slope. The horizontal
effective
stress in this condition can be related to the vertical effective stress by a parameter K, (defined as
the ratio of horizontal to vertical effective stress
in an element of soil under zero lateral strain).
The value of K, is found to be related to the soil
itself and to the stress history. It is therefore an
Manuscript received 15 December 1992; accepted 29
March 1993.
Discussion on this Paper closes 1 July 1994; for further
details see p. ii.
* Travers Morgan Consulting Engineers.
7 University of Oxford.
f: University of East London.
101

102

TING, SILLS AND WIJEYESEKERA

oedometer
wall. Davis & Poulos (1963) and
Lewin (1970) developed the controlled volume triaxial apparatus, in which the volume of the cell
fluid surrounding
the sample was maintained
constant
and hence it was presumed
that the
diameter of the soil sample remained unchanged.
Bishop (1958), Moore (1971) and Menzies, Sutton
& Davies (1977) used a conventional
triaxial
apparatus
with various lateral strain devices to
measure and regulate the cell pressure for zero
lateral strain condition.
Abdelhamid
& Krizek
(1976) used flush diaphragm transducers in a rigid
consolidometer
for lateral pressure measurement.
Since the publication of Jakys (1944) paper on
the theory of K,, many researchers
have suggested empirical or semi-empirical
correlations of
K, with the angle of shearing resistance 4 for
normally consolidated
soils. These relations are
summarized
in Table 1, which also gives the
values of K, calculated for 4 = 22, appropriate
for kaolin, for example. This Paper reports K,
measurements
made on very soft kaolin samples
in a consolidometer
under controlled
gradient
consolidation,
with measurement
of horizontal
stress by a transducer mounted flush in the wall
of the cell, and examines the results in the light of
these correlations.

EXPERIMENTAL
PROGRAMME
Controlled gradient consolidation

test

Lowe, Jonas & Obrician (1969) developed the


controlled gradient consolidation
test to provide
two main advantages over the conventional
step
loading test. The rate of strain can be set to lower
values, closer to those experienced in field conditions, without unduly increasing the length of the
test. In addition, the pore-pressure
gradient can be
set sufficiently low to provide a distribution
of
effective stress across the height of the sample
that is close to uniform. The sample therefore

Table 1.

Summary of &-I$

remains
in a reasonably
uniform
condition
throughout
the consolidation
process, and a reliable estimate of K, can be obtained from measurements of the pore pressure distribution
and
the horizontal and vertical total stresses.
Consolidation

Transducers

The vertical total stresses are measured directly


by two flush diaphragm
transducers
(Druck
PDCR-lOF,
300 kPa range) located at the top
and base of the soil sample. Two transducers
were used for measurement
of the base pore pres-

correlation and K, values for kaolin

K, equation

Reference

K, = 1 - sin 4

Jaky (1948)

K, = O-9 (1 ~ sin 4)

Jaky (1944), Fraser

= (1 + i sin @)(l - sin 4)


0

K, = tan

1 + sin f#~
45 -

cell

The rigid consolidation


cell developed for this
programme
was made from a Perspex tube of
4 mm thick wall, prestressed
by a 10 mm wall
thickness
outer aluminium
casing. The inner
Perspex
lining provided
a good low-friction
surface; the aluminium provided a stiffer lateral
constraint.
The radial strain of the cell under a
maximum lateral stress of 200 kPa is calculated,
based on elasticity theory of a thick composite
cylinder, to be less than 2.0 x 10e5. This strain is
considered small and is unlikely to affect the K,
state of a soil during consolidation.
Both the top
piston and the base pedestal were grooved with
circular and radial channels for drainage. A 3 mm
thick Perspex plate, containing
over 400 2 mm
drilled holes, was placed above the base pedestal,
with filter paper in place above it. A similar
Perspex plate and filter paper arrangement
was
used beneath the top piston. The 104 mm dia. cell
is 50 mm high and is equipped with strain-gaugetype pressure transducers which measure the top
and base vertical total stresses, mid-plane horizontal total stress, and mid-plane and base porewater pressures. The upper surface of the sample
in contact with the loading piston is the drainage
boundary. The cell is shown in Fig. 1.

1,15(& - 9)
2

K, for kaolin
(& = 22)
O-63
(1957)

0.56

Jaky (1944)
Rowe (1957),
Abdelhamid

& Krizek (1976)

K, = 0.95 - sin 4

Brooker

& Ireland

K, = 1 - sin (1.2@)(OCR) I w)

Schmidt

(1967)

(1965)

0.59
0.58
0.56

DEVELOPMENT

OF K, IN SOFT SOILS

103

Piston total
stress transducer
Bleed

Horizontal

valve

Upper

drainage

port

total
Mid-plane
pore-pressure
transducer

Base total
stress transducer

3
Base pore-pressure
total and differential

Fig. 1. Consolidation

cell

sure (Druck PDCR-lOF,


100 kPa range for direct
measurement
and Druck PDCR-120,
100 kPa
range for differential measurement).
The differential pressure transducer enabled the difference in
pore water pressure across the sample to be measured when drainage was allowed to a back pressure. In these experiments, with no back pressure,
the differential pressure transducer
simply acted
as a back-up, and confirmed the results of the
base pore water pressure transducer. Both transducers were mounted outside the cell, connected
through the drainage line in the base pedestal to
the pore water in the sample. The horizontal total
stress at the mid-plane of the sample (125 mm
above the base) is measured by a miniature flush
diaphragm
strain-gauge-type
pressure transducer
(Druck PDCR-200, 100 kPa range). The diameter
of this transducer
diaphragm
was 3 mm. The
transducer
was fitted into the cell wall with its
diaphragm
made flush with the cylindrical wall
by a drop of self-levelling silicon rubber sealant
(Silastic 734RTV). The sealant lens was less than
0.5 mm thick. It remained
elastic even after
drying, and effectively transmitted
lateral total
stress from the soil to the transducer.
Under a
stress of 100 kPa, the transducer
diaphragm
deflects about 5 urn, according to the manufacturer. A pressure transducer (Druck PDCR-lOF,
100 kPa range), with a small sintered stainless
steel filter plug mounted in front of it, detachable
for cleaning and saturating, is installed into the
consolidation
cell at the same height as the lateral
total stress transducer
to measure pore-water
pressure. These two measurements
enabled the
lateral effective stress to be determined.
The pressure transducers
are calibrated simul-

taneously inside the consolidation


cell subjected
to the same water pressure. The reference pressure for the calibration
is taken from a porepressure
transducer
with
known
transducer
constant
and good linearity.
Calibrations
are
carried out at the beginning of each test. Water
pressure tests conducted at the end of some of the
tests indicated that a small amount of zero drift
had occurred giving an overall accuracy of stress
measurement
better than f0.5 kPa. The consequent accuracy of K, measurement
is better than
_+0.02.

Control system
The apparatus consists of a microcomputer,
the
autonomous
data acquisition
unit (ADU-ELE,
1984), the loading control system and the consolidation cell. The computer acts as a communicator with the ADU which records data, controls
the loading system and maintains the room temperature at 20C f 1C.
The loading system consists of an air pressure
actuator connected to an air-oil interface and a
hydraulic jack. The resolution of the air actuator
is 0.025% of the full-scale range of 840 kPa (i.e.
kO.21 kPa); the area ratio of the hydraulic jack
to the sample is 0.66 to 1. This gives an overall
loading resolution
of kO.14 kPa on the soil
sample, which was adequate
to maintain
the
lowest controlled gradient used in the tests. The
loading system is closed-looped
with the ADU,
which is programmed
to maintain the required
pore-water pressure gradient during the test. The
time interval for each looping and regulation was
set to 5 s.

104

TING, SILLS AND WIJEYESEKERA

Sample preparation
Kaolin was chosen as the soil for these tests
because of the large amount of reported research
on it, its homogeneity
when purchased
commercially, its convenience of preparation
and its
generally
low creep. The kaolin used in the
experimental work is a white powder marketed as
Speswhite
China clay, which is excavated
in
Cornwall. Two methods of sample preparation
were
adopted : remoulded
and
sedimented.
Samples were prepared with distilled water or sea
water; the latter was prepared by mixing goodquality sea salt (Tropical Marine) with distilled
water. The liquid limit and plastic limit are 58%
and 30% respectively in distilled water and 62%
and 36% with sea-water chemistry.
The remoulded
samples
were prepared
by
mixing dry kaolin with water at a water content
of 175%, more than twice the liquid limit. This
was wet enough
to allow thorough
mixing
without entrainment
of air into the soil. Sedimented samples were prepared by mixing 1.5 kg
of dry kaolin to form a dilute slurry of initial
density 1.055 g/cm. The slurry was then pumped
into a 2 m high sedimentation
column at whose
base the consolidation
cell was mounted. Sedimentation was carried out for a period of 3 days
before the careful removal of the consolidation
cell with the sample for the subsequent controlled
gradient consolidation
stage. The void ratios at
the end of sedimentation
for distilled and seawater samples were about 4.3 and 3.5 respectively.

preparation
technique (remoulded or sedimented)
and water chemistry (sea or distilled water). Tests
were carried out at one of three hydraulic gradients, i = 5, 10 or 50; some tests were repeated.
Table 2 summarizes
the test conditions.
For
clarity the results now given are for eight tests
only: the repeated ones are omitted. However, the
repeated tests are subsequently compared directly
with each other.

Typical results of stresses and displacement


Figure 2 shows typical observations
from one
of the slower tests, i = 5, loaded to a vertical
stress of 150 kPa over 64 h. Both pressure transducers recording the pore pressure at the base of
the cell gave the same readings, marked simply as
differential pore pressure (Fig. 2). The pore water
pressures are evidently very small. The vertical
effective stress can therefore be assumed with confidence to be reasonably
uniform
across the
sample. The results of the faster test (i = 50) are
not shown, but are similar in form, although
larger differential pore pressures were generated
up to a maximum of 25 kPa at the beginning of
the consolidation
stage, reducing to about 13 kPa
when the soil sample was later consolidated
to a
final thickness of about 27 mm.

Stress-strain curves
The consolidation
curves e-log crVfor the distilled water remoulded
(KRD) and sedimented
(KSD) kaolin samples (Fig. 3) are almost identical, suggesting that the two fabrics are essentially
similar and no particle segregation has occurred
through sedimentation.
Also, there is no apparent
difference between the results of sea-water (KRS)

RESULTS

There were four different sets of test conditions,


depending on the specific combination
of sample
Table 2.

Test summary

Sample

Test

preparation
technique

Fluid
chemistry

KRS-CG-6
KRS-CG-7
KRS-CG-8*

Remoulded
Remoulded
Remoulded

Sea water
Sea water
Sea water

KRD-CG-10
KRD-CG-9*
KRD-CG-11

Remoulded
Remoulded
Remoulded

Distilled
Distilled
Distilled

KSS-CG-2
KSS-CG-14*
KSS-CG-8

Sedimented
Sedimented
Sedimented

Sea water
Sea water
Sea water

KSD-CG-6
KSD-CG-5
KSD-CG-1 I*

Sedimented
Sedimented
Sedimented

Distilled
Distilled
Distilled

* Repeated

test.

water
water
water

water
water
water

Hydraulic
gradient

Final void ratio


(at 150 kPa)

1.34

5
50
50

1.29
1.27

50
10
10

1.32
1.32
1.31

5
5
50

1.14
1.16
1.16

10
50
50

1.33
1.32
1.33

DEVELOPMENT

OF

K,

IN

SOFT

105

SOILS

Top vertical
tots. stress
Base veriical
total stress

Horizontal
total stress

Percentage
settlement
60

40

Dlfferentlal
pore pressure

Time: h

Fig. 2. Typical results from controlled gradient consolidation


4922 mm, i = 5-O

K,

distilled
water remoulded
(KRD) samples.
This is in accordance
with the observations
of
Sides & Barden (1971), who reported difficulty in
flocculating large colloidally inert kaolinite.
However,
salt did affect flocculation
during
sedimentation.
For the entire range of effective
stress, Fig. 3 shows a considerable
difference
between the e-log eV results of sea water (KSS)
and distilled water (KSD) sedimented
samples.
The sedimented
sea-water samples have consistently lower compression
index C,, and lower
void ratio. The consistency of the test results for
the same water chemistry indicates good repeatability of the tests.
and

tests: teat KS-CG-2,

results

Figure 4 shows the values of K, plotted against


vertical effective stress, demonstrating
that K, is
not independent
of the vertical effective stress as
is usually assumed. The value of K, increases
non-linearly
with vertical effective stress, with a
low K, value during the early formation of soil
mass from slurry. The higher the rate of K,
increase, the lower is the stress level; this increase
mainly occurs below an effective stress level of 30
kPa. The rate of increase reduces at higher stress
levels, although results of tests KSD-CG-11
and
KSS-CG-14 show that there is a trend for K, to
continue to increase up to consolidation
stresses

2.6-

2.4 -

Test

XI
0

Q.+
zx

0.6

5%

x
0

__

KRS-CG-6
KRS-CG-7

KRD-CG-10

KRD-CG-11

__

KSS-CG-2

fi

KSS-CG-6

__

KSD-CG-6

__

KSD-CG-5

fi
.
.

I1l111,

HO =

IC111,

100

10
a,: kPa

Fig. 3. e-log a, from controlled gradient consolidation tests

106

TING,

Range
of K,

+-

*:+-

SILLS

AND

WIJEYESEKERA

correlations

x KRS-CG-6

I
50

KRS-CG-7

KRD-CG-10

KRD-CG-11

KSS-CG-2

KSS-CG-6

KSD-CG-6

KSD-CG-5
I

I,

150

100
uv: kPa

Fig. 4. Ko-u, from controlled gradient consolidation tests

of 300 kPa. A similar pattern is apparent if K, is


plotted against the horizontal effective stress.
A consistently
linear
K,-e
relation
was
observed in each test (Fig. 5). There is a wide
spread of results, but it seems to be a consistent
pattern that the lower values of K, at a given
void ratio are associated with the two sets of sedimented samples. The difference between sea-water
and distilled water sedimented samples observed
in the e-log gu plots does not exist in the present
correlation.
The overall range of the results is
higher than would be expected from natural
variability
between
tests, as demonstrated
in
Fig. 6, which shows repeated tests under identical
conditions,
two remoulded and two sedimented,
with little variation
between pairs of tests. It
therefore seems likely that the difference between
remoulded
and sedimented
samples is real, and

due in some way to different fabric arrangements


in the two situations.
The best-fit least-square
straight lines for the
K,-e variations in Fig. 5 have the equations
K, = -0.22e

+ 0.90
correlation

K, = -0.25e

coefficient

- 0.90

(1)

coefficient

-0.95

(2)

+ 0.87
correlation

for remoulded
and sedimented
kaolin respectively. If a realistic estimate of the lowest likely
values of void ratio e is taken, and it is assumed
that these equations will hold for the full range of
void ratios, they indicate that upper bounds on
K, of about 0.8 and 0.75 may exist for remoulded
and sedimented samples respectively. It must be

0.6

Ko = -0.22e

+ 0.90>.

6
Test

u 0.4

x KRS-CG-6

-F I
HTa
Ko = -0.25e

0 KRS-CG-7

+ KRD-CG-10

+ 0.67

0 KRD-CG-11
KSS-CG-2

A KSS-CG-6
.

KSD-CG-6
KSD-CG-5

I
2-4

I
2.2

I
2.0

I
l-6

I
1.6
e

Fig. 5. K,-e from controlled gradient consolidation tests

I
1.4

I
1.2

I
1-O

DEVELOPMENT

OF

K,

IN

SOFT

107

SOILS

150 < uv < 300 kPa

0.6 -

i-

*++

+f*

X.X

7
u

x
0.4 -

o-2

x+

lX

+*

KRD-CG-10

KRD-CG-9

lx

lX

l
x

l KSD-CG-5
x

KSD-CG-11

1.6

2.0

2.2

:X=xX&

I
1.2

1.4

1.6

160 < 0

< 300 kPa

I0.6 oy
0

u
0.4 -

Q @@@oxoo(
xx
m

2.0

1.6

xx$*Xxx

XX...

0.2
2.2

1.6

Xm
m

KRS-CG-7
KRS-CG-6

1.4

1.2

1
2.0

I
1.8

1.6

KSS-CG-2

KSS-CG-14

I
1.4

I
1.2

I
1.0

Fig. 6. K,-e variation in repeat tests with identical conditions

emphasized
that equations
(1) and (2) are the
results of the tests carried out in this research for
the specified stress range 5-150 kPa. Their applicability to lower (say ~5 kPa) or higher stresses
(> 150 kPa) must be investigated further.

DISCUSSION

Measurement offriction angle q5


To correlate K, with the friction angle 4 for
the present test results, consolidated
undrained
triaxial tests were carried out on remoulded
kaolin mixed with distilled water. The triaxial test
samples were prepared
by consolidating
dilute
slurry of 175% initial water content in a consolidometer
to
100 kPa
vertical
stress
onedimensionally.
The consolidometer
is a 100 mm
dia. by 300 mm tall cylinder with simple hanger
type dead-loading
mechanism.
The slurry was
loaded in 24 h stages to 6.3 kPa (hanger weight)
and 25 kPa and then maintained at 100 kPa for 3
days. The consolidated
sample had a final thickness of about 100 mm, which provided
three
38 mm dia. by 76 mm high triaxial samples. Each
sample was further consolidated
for 24 h in the
triaxial cell under isotropic conditions,
with the
provision of filter paper side drains, with back
pressure 100 kPa and cell pressures 300 kPa, 500
kPa or 700 kPa. (Side drains are not recommended for conditions
of one-dimensional
consolidation under a uniaxial applied load, due to the
non-homogeneities
that arise in the consolidated
sample. However, given the different boundary

conditions for a sample consolidating


under allround pressure in a triaxial cell, these problems
are much less serious.) The samples were sheared
in the undrained condition with an axial deformation
rate of 0.048 mm/min.
Failure
was
defined by maximum stress ratio. A 4 value of
22 was measured from both stress paths and
Mohr circles (Figs 7 and 8). These tests were
carried out at higher effective stress levels than
the consolidation
tests, lower values being very
difficult to achieve due to the difficulties of handling very soft samples.
Comparison with K, correlations
If an elastic-plastic
model is assumed
to
describe soil behaviour,
the process of normal

400

m 300
4

b200 I

.
.

-iy;b,
~:, f ~
.

200
P = (~1 + 2os)/3:

400
kPa

600

Fig. 7. Stress paths for undrained triaxial tests on kaolin

108

TING.

SILLS

AND

thixotropic
effects to develop, it is clear that 4
values can be sufhciently high at low stresses to
explain the observed K, values within the previously proposed empirical correlation.

400-

WIJEYESEKERA

100

Fig. 8. Mohr

200

300
400
0,'.03'.kPa

500

circles for undrained triaxial

600

I
700

tests on

kaolin

consolidation
can be identified with the condition
of yielding, and expansion of the yield envelope.
It is therefore not surprising to find some correof onelation between K,, a stress parameter
dimensional
normal
consolidation,
and
the
friction angle $, representing
the failure condition. Such a correlation is implicit in the empirical determinations
of K, given in Table 1.
Assuming the value 4 = 22 found from the triaxial tests for effective stress ranges of 200-600
kPa, the calculated values for remoulded kaolin
are shown in Table 1. The range is 0.5660.63. By
comparison,
the K, values measured in the consolidometer for remoulded kaolin mixed with distilled water lie within this range for effective
stresses above 70 kPa, and are therefore consistent with the original correlations.
Below about
60 kPa, however, the K, values are lower than
the empirical correlation
would suggest if the
value of 4 were constant independently
of stress
range. However, if 4 is assumed to be higher at
low effective stresses, the correlation may still be
valid. It is difficult to measure 4 at these stress
levels in the triaxial test, but Kamhawi
(1992)
reported experiments in direct shear under conditions of controlled
shear load increment
on
kaolin consolidated
from slurries of initial water
content about 400%. They found a failure angle
of 22.5 at vertical stresses > 10 kPa, with 38 for
~5
kPa
vertical
stress.
In displacementcontrolled
tests, on the other hand, they found
values of 22.5 at all stress levels. The high values
of 4 were attributed to thixotropy, developed in
the time
elapsed
between
the shear
load
increments,
and therefore not occurring in the
displacement-controlled
tests. If a value of
4 = 38 is taken, the corresponding
value of K,
calculated from (1 - sin 4) is 0.38. The consolidometer results for kaolin (both sedimented and
remoulded) shown in Fig. 4 lie between 0.33 and
0.44 for a vertical effective stress of 10 kPa. Thus,
although the conditions of the controlled gradient
test would not traditionally
be expected to cause

CONCLUSIONS
Experimental
observations
indicate that K, is
not a constant
parameter,
but increases nonlinearly with increasing effective stress, the lowest
values and the fastest changes of K, occurring at
low stress levels. The fact that the K, correlation
has been observed to vary linearly with void ratio
offers an intriguing possibility
of predicting
qS
values at lower effective stresses from the void
ratio+.ffective
stress relation for the soil. Thus, by
measurement
of K, at higher stress levels (say,
within an effective stress range of 100-500 kPa),
the appropriate
K,-e relation could be established. This could then be extrapolated
to higher
void ratios, corresponding
to softer soils. The
value of 4 could be calculated from K, = 1 - sin
effective
4: and related to the corresponding
stress level by way of the effective stress-void
ratio relation. The present data would support
this approach down to effective stress levels of
about 10 kPa.
Extrapolation
of the linear K,-e correlation in
the other direction, assuming a likely minimum
value of e, allows an upper bound to be placed on
K, and hence on 4. However, there is less justification for this from the experiments
reported
here, since none have been carried out to confirm
that the linear relation holds at effective stress
levels above 500 kPa. Comparison
of sea-water
remoulded and sedimented kaolin sample results
indicates a large effect of fabric on compressibility, with a much smaller effect on K,
The results of this experimental
programme
confirm that soft soils cannot, in general, be
treated simply by applying parameters
obtained
at higher stress levels. However, they also suggest
that the general relations still apply, provided
that appropriate parameters are used.

NOTATION
e
void ratio
cc compression index

HO initial height

4M
OCR
P
4
01) u3
0

hydraulic gradient
coefficient of lateral earth pressure at rest
critical stress ratio
overconsolidation
ratio
mean effective stress
deviatoric stress
principal effective stresses
vertical effective stress
shear stress
effective angle of shearing resistance

K, IN SOFT SOILS
REFERENCES
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