FACULTY OF CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL

ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND
GEOMATIC ENGINEERING

LAB GEOTECHNIC

FULL REPORT
Subject Code BFC 31901
Code & Experiment Title U3 CONSOLIDATION TEST
Course Code 3 BFF
Date 28 FEBRUARY 2018
Section / Group SECTION 5 / GROUP 3
Name Muhammad Azmie bin Nazri DF160085
Members of Group Muhammad Syazwan bin Juarsa CF160194
Muhammad Zulhairi bin Abd Rashid DF160049
Muhammad Amirul Qayyum bin Rashid DF160011
Nursyafiqah binti Rusli DF160016
Jeeleonna Laipat DF160080

Lecturer/Instructor/Tutor PUAN ZAIHASRA BINTI ABU TALIB

Received Date 04 MARCH 2018

Comment by examiner Received

1.0 RESULTS

1.1 Data for Consolidation Test – Specimen 1

Date started: 28/02/2018 Sample No.: 1

Soil Type : Clay Cell No: 2.5 kg

BEFORE TEST

Moisture content from trimming: 29.7 S.G. (Assumed) : 2.7

Weight of ring : 111.60( g )
Weight of sample + ring : 257.52 ( g )
Weight of sample : 145.92( g )
Weight of dry sample : 112.29( g )
Weight of initial moisture : 33.63( g )
Initial moisture content: 29.9( % )
Diameter of ring : 74.32( mm )
Area of ring : 4338.117( mm2 )
Thickness of ring: 20.16( mm )
Volume of ring : 87.456 ( mm3 )
Density,  : 1.67( Mg/m3)
Dry density, d : 1.28 ( Mg/m3 )

Gs
Initial void ratio,  1 = 1.109
d

Elapse time Clock Gauge Cumulative

Time
√ time time reading compression, H (mm)
(min)
hour min sec - - -
0 0 0 1640 0
10 0.17 0.409 0.016
20 0.33 0.577 0.018
30 0.50 0.707 0.019
40 0.67 0.817 0.020
50 0.83 0.913 0.021
1 1 1 0.022
2 2 1.414 0.026
4 4 2 0.034
8 8 2.828 0.045
15 15 3.873 0.062
30 30 5.477 0.089
1 60 7.746 1740 0.132
2.0 DATA ANALYSIS

Weight of sample = (Weight of sample + ring) - Weight of ring

= 257.52 g – 111.60 g

= 145.92 g

Weight of initial moisture = Weight of sample - Weight of dry sample

= 145.92 g – 112.29 g

= 33.63 g

Initial moisture contents = Weight of initial moisture / Weight of dry sample

= (33.63 / 112.29) x 100%

= 29.9 %

Area of ring = πD2/4

= π (74.32) 2/4

= 4338.117 mm2

Volume of ring = Area of ring x Thickness of ring

= 4338.117 x 20.16

= 87.456 m3
Density,  = Weight of sample (ring)
Volume of ring

= 145.92 x 10 -6(Mg)
87.456 x 10 -6(m3)

= 1.67 Mg/m3

Dry density, d = Weight of dry sample

Volume of ring

= 112.29 x 10 -6(Mg)
70672 x 10 -6 (m3)

= 1.28 Mg/m3
3.0 QUESTIONS
QUESTION 1
From your experimental data, determine the coefficient of consolidation, Cv (m2/year)
using Casagrande Method. Please comment your answer.

t50 = 8 min
H = 20.16/2 = 10.08 mm
Cv = TvH2/t
Cv = 0.196 H² / t50
= 0.196 (10.08)² mm
8 min
= 19.915
8
= 2.489 mm2/min

Cv = 2.489 (m2/min x 60min/1hr x 24hr/1day x 356day/1year)

= 1.276 x 10-6 m2/year

Therefore, by using Casagrande Method the coefficient of consolidation, Cv

obatined is 1.276 x 10-6 m2/year. The result obtained where the 50%
consolidation plotted on the graph.

0.71−0.5
i) Cc = 300−100

Cc = 1.05 x 10-3

Pc = 100 kN/m2
 1
ii) mv = slope of graph x 1+𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑔

1
mv = 1.05 x 10-3x 1+0.605
-4
mv = 6.542 x 10

iii) D = 5m
Po = unit weight x depth
Po = 18 x 5
Po = 90 kN/m2

OCR = Pc / Po
100
OCR = 90

OCR = 1.1 > 1

The soil is over consolidated soil OCR = 1.1 > 1. This is because the soil is
already allowed to consolidate and was used to the pressure applying.

QUESTION 2

A. From your experimental data, determine the coefficient of consolidation, Cv

(m2/year) using Taylor Method. Please comment your answer.

t90 = 4.14 min

Cv = TvH2/t
Cv = 0.848 H2/4t90
= 0.848 (10.08)²
4( 4.14 )
= 5.203 mm2/min
Cv = 5.203 (m2/min x 60min/1hr x 24hr/1day x 356day/1year)
= 2.667 m2/year
Therefore, by using Taylor Method the coefficient of consolidation, Cv obatined
is 2.667 m2/year. The result obtained where the 90% consolidation plotted on
the graph. The result shows that the value by using taylor method is a bit higher
than casagrande method which are 1.276 x 10-6 m2/year and 2.667 m2/year
respectively.
 B. Clay sample collected from 10 metres deep in Parit Raja has unit weight (γ) of
20 kN/m 3 .The collecting data were recorded during an odometer test.

Effective 50 100 200 400 800 1600 400 100

stress
kN/m 2

Void 0.95 0.92 0.81 0.67 0.53 0.4 0.5 0.6

ratio

I. Cc = 0.42 (slope of the graph)

Pc = 160 kN/m 2

II. Coeffiecient of volume compressibility

Mv = slope of graph x (1/ (1+ avg)
avg = (0.95+0.6)/ 2
= 0.775
Mv = (0.42) (1/ (1+0.775)
= 0.237

III. Define whether the soil I normally consolidated or over consolidated

D = 10m
Po= unit weight x depth
= 20 x 10
= 200 kN/m 2

Over consolidated, OCR= Pc/ Po

= 160/200
=0.8 < 1
The soil is over consolidated, OCR<1. It means that the stress had been
applied to the sample of soils previously is less than the stress is applied
during that test.
4.0 DISCUSSIONS

The aim of this experiment is to study the characteristic of the soil when
consolidation process takes place and obtain the sedimentation from this experiment.
Other than that, from this experiment we are able to determine the magnitude and
rate volume decrease that a laterally confined soil specimen undergoes.

When the saturated soil has been exposed to the same pressure, the volume will
be decrease and because the soil particle and water cannot compress the value of
compression unless if water exit from the spaces between the particle. This situation
will decrease the size of the spaces between the particle and soil particle become
more compact.

In this experiment show that consolidation process happened. It is because of

the movement horizontally as a volume rotation that call sediment. Two graphs had
been plotted for specimen 1 (peat soil) and specimen 2 (clay), which is graph of
settlement against log time with logarithmic scale and graph of settlement against
square root time.

As know, the values of the sediment increase as the time increase. This shows
that sediment is linearly proportional to the time. Consolidation takes most of the
sediment as a loading. After time t90 the process continues slowly. This phenomenon
happens because of transformation moisture membrane that covers the solid
particle.
 There are some errors maybe occur during the experiment and affect the
accuracy and precision of the recorded data, which are:

a) Disturbed soil specimen or excessive disturbance during trimming

b) Specimen not fitting into and filling the ring

c) Permeability of the porous stones too low

d) Excessive friction between the specimen and ring

e) Inappropriate load during inundation

f) Improper specimen height

g) Parallax error

To reduce the value of the error, we must have methods for the step, it is:-

a. the sample of the soil must be compacted

b. choose the best point of sampling on site
c. the value of water is not too much
d. using a larger diameter and thinner specimen
5.0 CONCLUSION

From the laboratory test results, we had obtained the cumulative compression
from the gauge reading. We had done this consolidation test using odometer for
duration of 1 hour. The load used was 0.5kg and not 2.5kg to obtain a much more
constant reading. From the data obtained, we were able to determine the coefficient of
consolidation, Cv. There are two methods to obtain the coefficient of consolidation.
One of them is settlement versus log time graph while the other is settlement versus
square root time graph. From these two graphs that we had plotted, we had also
obtained the coefficient of consolidation. Settlement is the direct result of the decrease
in soil volume and consolidation is the rate of volume decrease with time. The
consolidation test is use to estimate the amount of settlement and time of
consolidation. When a compressive load is applied to soil mass, a decrease in its
volume takes place, the decrease in volume of soil mass under stress is known as
compression and the property of soil mass pertaining to its tendency to decrease in
volume under pressure is known as compressibility. In a saturated soil mass having its
void filled with incompressible water, decrease in volume or compression can take
place when water is expelled out of the void.