CONSOLIDATION BEHAVIOUR OF SOFT CLAY UNDER VARIOUS DRAINAGE CONDITIONS

Volume Title: ICASGE2025

Paper ID : 1073-ICASGE-FULL

Indian Institute of Technology, Madras

Soft clays are those type of soils that are characterized with low strength and high compressibility. Excessive settlements and bearing capacity failure are the major problems encountered by the engineers while constructing on these deposits. Numerous laboratory consolidation studies have been performed by the researchers on the soft clays to understand their compressibility characteristics. In most of the cases, either double vertical drainage or radial drainage conditions have been adopted. However, limited studies are available with combined vertical and radial drainage conditions. In this study, an attempt is made to examine and compare the consolidation properties of the soft clay under vertical drainage, radial drainage and combined vertical and radial drainage conditions. To achieve this objective, the laboratory consolidation tests were performed on the soft clay using specimens of 30 mm height and 75 mm diameter. The filter papers were placed at the top and bottom of the specimens to simulate the two-way vertical drainage condition. For the case of purely radial drainage condition, sand drain of 7.5 mm diameter was installed in the middle of the specimen and the top and bottom drainage were restricted by using the impervious rubber membranes. To replicate the combined vertical and radial drainage conditions, a 7.5 mm diameter sand drain was installed in the middle of the specimen, and the filter papers were placed at the top and bottom to aid the vertical drainage. The results of the study will help in understanding the consolidation behaviour of soft clays under different drainage conditions.

Soft clay; Consolidation; vertical drainage; radial drainage; sand drain; rubber membranes; filter papers

Geotechnical Engineering (GEO)