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    CE 332 Geotechnical Engineering I: Lecture 5: Compaction vs. Consolidation

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    Nickson Koms
    Compaction and consolidation are soil improvement techniques that compress soil through the removal of voids. Compaction is an instantaneous process that removes air voids from dry or saturated soil through mechanical means. Consolidation is a slow, natural process that removes water from voids in fully saturated clayey soils through the application of steady loads over long periods. While both reduce soil volume, compaction is used to intentionally improve properties before construction, while consolidation naturally occurs after loading.

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    CE 332 Geotechnical Engineering I: Lecture 5: Compaction vs. Consolidation

    Uploaded by

    Nickson Koms
    36 views6 pages
    Compaction and consolidation are soil improvement techniques that compress soil through the removal of voids. Compaction is an instantaneous process that removes air voids from dry or saturated soil through mechanical means. Consolidation is a slow, natural process that removes water from voids in fully saturated clayey soils through the application of steady loads over long periods. While both reduce soil volume, compaction is used to intentionally improve properties before construction, while consolidation naturally occurs after loading.

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    CE 332 Lecture 5

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    Compaction and consolidation are soil improvement techniques that compress soil through the removal of voids. Compaction is an instantaneous process that removes air voids from dry or saturated soil through mechanical means. Consolidation is a slow, natural process that removes water from voids in fully saturated clayey soils through the application of steady loads over long periods. While both reduce soil volume, compaction is used to intentionally improve properties before construction, while consolidation naturally occurs after loading.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    36 views6 pages

    CE 332 Geotechnical Engineering I: Lecture 5: Compaction vs. Consolidation

    Uploaded by

    Nickson Koms
    Compaction and consolidation are soil improvement techniques that compress soil through the removal of voids. Compaction is an instantaneous process that removes air voids from dry or saturated soil through mechanical means. Consolidation is a slow, natural process that removes water from voids in fully saturated clayey soils through the application of steady loads over long periods. While both reduce soil volume, compaction is used to intentionally improve properties before construction, while consolidation naturally occurs after loading.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    CE 332

    GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING I

    Lecture 5: Compaction vs. Consolidation


    Mrs Honoria Homu-Hedziga
    Room 116
    Compaction vs. Consolidation
    • Compaction is the process of expulsion of air from the
    void in the soil through compression. It is an instant process
    • Consolidation is the expulsion of water from the voids in
    the soil also through compression. Consolidation is a slow
    and natural process
    • Compaction uses mechanical pressure to compress the soil
    for the purpose of soil improvement
    • Consolidation uses steady and static pressure to compress
    saturated soil
    • Dynamic loads by rapid mechanical methods are applied
    for a short interval in soil compaction
    • Static and sustained loading is applied for long intervals in
    soil consolidation
    Compaction vs. Consolidation
    • The volume of soil is reduced by removal of air voids from
    saturated or dry soil during compaction
    • In consolidation, the soil volume is reduced by squeezing
    out pore water from the saturated soil
    • Compaction can be used for all soil types, however it is
    mainly used for sandy soil
    • Consolidation is mainly used for clayey soil
    • Compaction is intentionally done to produce a high unit
    weight of soil and consequently improve other soil
    properties. Dry density increases but water content remains
    the same
    • Consolidation is a natural process where soil below a
    structure is compacted by transferred load to the soil
    through the provided foundation system
    Compaction
    Compaction and Consolidation are the methods of
    compressibility of soil. Both are soil improvement techniques.
    •Compaction is an artificial instantaneous process whereby
    the volume of voids in the soil is reduced due to the expulsion
    of air.
    •For compaction, the degree of saturation should be less than
    one (Sr <1) which means soil should be partially saturated
    where there is water and air in the soil
    •Compaction can be done before construction by mechanical
    means such as rolling, tamping and vibration
    •The aim of compaction is to achieve maximum dry density at
    optimum moisture content
    •Both cohesive and non-cohesive soil can be compacted
    •Compaction is a one stage process and can be controlled
    Advantages of Compaction
    •Makes soil hard and stiff
    •Increases unit weight and effective stress
    •Increases the shear strength of soil
    •Increases the bearing capacity of soil
    •Decreases permeability and compressibility of soil
    •Reduces frost damage
    •Reduces the cross-sectional area of the required footing
    •Necessary for the construction of roads, runways, dams and
    other engineering structures
    Consolidation
    •Consolidation reduces the volume of voids in the soil due to the
    expulsion of pore water. Simply put, water is removed from voids
    •It is a natural process which is time-dependent
    •For consolidation, the degree of saturation should be one (Sr =1)
    meaning the soil must be fully saturated, and only water is present
    in the soil voids
    •Consolidation cannot be done before construction
    •Consolidation occurs naturally due to the structural loads from the
    foundation
    •Consolidation applies to only cohesive soils, especially low
    permeable clay
    •Consolidation is a two-stage process involving primary and
    secondary consolidation
    •Consolidation starts after compaction. As it is a natural process, it
    cannot be controlled

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