Consolidation characracteristics for Sri Lankan and Japanese clays: void index in relation to stress states and sedimentation environment

Abstract

It is well known that cementation/aging and sedimentation environment affect significantly a compressibility of natural clays. In this study, one-dimensional consolidation curves (e-log p) have been measured using a standard oedometer test for several Sri Lankan and Japanese clays with different sedimentation environment (i.e., freshwater and marine sediments). The void index proposed by Burland (1990) was used to analyze the measured cosnsolidation curves. As a result, void index of marine sediments is higher than that of freshwater sediments and drastically decrease after consolidation yield stress. On the other hand, void index of Sri Lankan clays is quite low and gently narrow as increase consolidation stress. That indicates the Burland’s void index well characterized the effects of sedimentation enviroments on the consolidation characteristics of clays.