Assignment 4 (Consolidation)

CE351A Soil Mechanics: Course instructor Arghya Das: Semester 1, 2016-17

1. The void ratio of clay A decreased from 0.572 to 0.505 under a change in pressure from 120 to 180
kg/m2. The void ratio of clay B decreased from 0.612 to 0.597 under the same increment of pressure.
The thickness of sample A was 1.5 times that of B. Nevertheless, the time required for 50%
consolidation was three times longer for sample B than for sample A. What is the ratio of the coefficient
of permeability of A to that of B?
2. (a) The soil profile at a building site consists of dense sand up to 2 m depth, normally loaded soft clay
from 2 m to 6 m depth, and stiff impervious rock below 6 m depth. The ground-water table is at 0.40 m
depth below ground level. The sand has a density of 18.5 kN/m3 above water table and 19 kN/m3 below
it. For the clay, natural water content is 50%, liquid limit is 65% and grain specific gravity is 2.65.
Calculate the probable ultimate settlement resulting from a uniformly distributed surface load of 40
kN/m2 applied over an extensive area of the site.
(b) In a laboratory consolidation test with porous discs on either side of the soil sample, the 25 mm thick
sample took 81 minutes for 90% primary compression. Calculate the value of coefficient of
consolidation for the sample.
3. A foundation for an oil tank is proposed for a site with a soil profi le, as shown in Figure E9.14a. A
specimen of the fine-grained soil, 75 mm in diameter and 20 mm thick, was tested in an oedometer in a
laboratory. The initial water content was 62% and Gs 5 2.7. The vertical stresses were applied
incrementallyeach increment remaining on the specimen until the porewater pressure change was
negligible. The cumulative settlement values at the end of each loading step are as follows:

The timesettlement data when the vertical stress was 200 kPa are:

Figure1:Soilstratificationbelowoiltankfoundation,problem3

The tank, when full, will impose vertical stresses of 90 kPa and 75 kPa at the top and bottom of the fi
ne-grained soil layer, respectively. You may assume that the vertical stress is linearly distributed in this
layer.
(a) Determine the primary consolidation settlement of the fi ne-grained soil layer when the tank is full.
(b) Calculate and plot the settlementtime curve.
4. The excess porewater pressure distribution in a 10-mthick clay varies linearly from 100 kPa at the top to
10 kPa at the bottom of the layer when a vertical stress is applied. Assuming drainage only at the top of

the clay layer, determine the approximate excess porewater pressure distribution in 1 years time using
the analytic solution if Cv = 1.5 m2/yr. Also, determine the average degree of consolidation in the layer

where, M = (/2)(2m+1)
5. For a laboratory consolidation test on a clay specimen (drained on both sides), the following were
obtained:
Thickness of the clay layer = 25 mm
1 = 200 kN/m2 e1 = e0 = 0.73
2 = 400 kN/m2 e2 = 0.61
Time for 50% consolidation (t50) = 2.8 min
Determine the hydraulic conductivity of the clay for the loading range and settlement after 70%
consolidation.