Development of a settling column and associated primary consolidation monitoring systems for use in the geotechnical centrifuge: investigation of geotechnical-geophysical correlations

Hurley, Shawn J. (1999) Development of a settling column and associated primary consolidation monitoring systems for use in the geotechnical centrifuge: investigation of geotechnical-geophysical correlations. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

A research program to develop an instrumented settling column and obtain correlations between geophysical and geotechnical properties of soft soils as they undergo self-weight consolidation in the geotechnical centrifuge is described. The primary research objective was to develop the column and its measurement systems, conduct initial tests with speswhite kaolin clay and demonstrate that the data obtained is comparable to published results. -- Soft soils are characterized by low shear strengths and low densities and it is virtually impossible to obtain representative samples for geotechnical testing. In order to study the geotechnical properties of soft soils, researchers have utilised settling column experiments and geophysical techniques to develop correlations between geotechnical and geophysical properties. However, 1 g column experiments are usually inefficient due to the amount of time required to conduct a single test (months to years) and low effective stresses which do not accurately represent field conditions. -- The thesis focuses on two experiments during which in-flight measurements were made of compressional wave velocity, bulk density, and pore pressure. This work has demonstrated that the centrifuge can be used to enhance primary consolidation and significantly increase effective stress levels. The correlations between compressional wave velocity and bulk density for speswhite kaolin clay are in agreement with previous work. It is believed that this is the first documented case of a compressional wave being generated in the centrifuge through a consolidating soft soil.

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