CONSOLIDATION OF UNSATURATED SOILS INCLUDING SWELLING AND COLLAPSE BEHAVIOUR

A general model for the consolidation of unsaturated soil, which incorporates the latest experimental findings, is developed and applied to one-dimensional conditions. An effort is made to minimize restrictive assumptions whose influence is a priori unknown. A case of particular importance for foundation performance is undrained loading: a procedure is developed to compute the resulting initial air and water pore pressures which is consistent with a general volume change behaviour of the soil. It is shown that both fluid pressures rise initially to values very close to each other. The model developed is then applied to a few typical situations which serve to demonstrate its wide capabilities. First a case of nonlinear saturated consolidation is solved as a special case. Then an infiltration example is analysed. The evolution of the "wetting front" and the surface movements (swelling in this case) are computed. Finally collapse behaviour upon wetting of an initially loaded soil is presented. For its proper use the model requires a knowledge of the state surfaces for volume change of the soil and water and air permeabilities of the soil. The model, which can handle any loading or environmental history as well as arbitrary soil heterogeneity, may also be used to investigate long-term conditions in natural soil deposits. (Author/TRRL)

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00168505
• Corporate Authors:

  Institution of Civil Engineers

  One Great George Street, Westminster
  London,   United Kingdom  SW1P 3AA
• Authors:
  • Lloret, A
  • Alonso, E E
• Publication Date: 1980-12

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References;
• Pagination: p. 449-472
• Serial:
  • GEOTECHNIQUE
  • Volume: 30
  • Issue Number: 4
  • Publisher: Thomas Telford Limited
  • ISSN: 0016-8505

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Consolidation; Failure; Infiltration; Loads; Mathematical models; Percent saturation; Pore water pressures; Porosity; Soil stabilization; Soils; Swelling; Swelling soils; Unsaturated soils; Wetting
• Uncontrolled Terms: Soil consolidation
• Old TRIS Terms: Soil swell
• ITRD Terms: 5791: Consolidation (soil); 5907: Degree of saturation (mater); 5520: Failure; 5567: Load; 6473: Mathematical model; 5762: Pore water pressure; 5938: Porosity; 5203: Swelling (soil)
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00330855
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 15 1981 12:00AM