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Consolidation Behavior of Peats

Article  in  Geotechnical Testing Journal · September 1980

DOI: 10.1520/GTJ10881J

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 Authorized Reprint from
Geotechnical Testing Journal, September 1980
Copyright
American Society for Testing and Materials
1916 Race Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 19103
A. W. Dhowian' and T. B. Edif2
REFERENCE: Dhowian. A. W. and Edil. T. B.. "Consolidatlon
Behavior of Peats," Geotechnical Testing Journal. GTJODJ, Vol. 3.
No.3. Sept. 1980, pp. 105-114.
ABSTRACT: Four peat samples, covering a wide range of fiber con-
tents, were subjected to one-dimensional consolidation tests. The
development and dissipation of excesspore water pressure, effluent
outflow, and permeability were also monitored during some of the
consolidation tests. The other test variables included the application of
back pressure, specimen thickness, and specimen orientation. Sig-
nificant I;ompression and effluent outflow take place after the dis-
sipation of measurableexcesspore water pressure, while permeability
decreases drastically during consolidation. The rate of secondary
compression, after a certain time. increases with the logarithm of
time before gradually decreasinguntil it vanishesfor very large times,
resulting in a new stagetermed "tertiary" compression.This behavior,
along with the observations-of peat microstructure. supports the
presence of a two-level structure for peats, possibly consisting of
macroporesand micropores. The rate of compressionof peats depends
primarily on void ratio; peat type appears to be of secondary im-
portance. Test results provide certain insights into the nature and the
mechanisms of peat consolidation. The consolidation behavior of
peats is quite distinct from that of other soils and requires special
considerations in laboratory testing procedures and interpretation of
results.
KEYWORDS: soils. peat. consolidation. microstructures, compres-
sibility, secondarycompression.time-settlement relationship. compres-
sion curves, pore water pressure, permeability. laboratory tests
Sites that until recently had been regarded as marginal for
construction becauseof their highly compressibleand weak subsoils
are now being considered for economic reasons. Some of the
marginal sites are old wetlands that have been drained. For
example, in Wisconsin wetlands that once covered an estimated
36 400 km2 are disappearing from the state at the rate of 80 km2
a year and presently cover only about 10 i20 km2, Encountered
extensivelyin wetlands, peat is a subsudace material considered
to be among the poorest of foundation materials in terms of its
engineering properties. Peat is a mixture of fragmented organic
material formed in wetlands under appropriate climatic and
topographic conditions and it is derived from vegetation that has
been chemically cha~ged and fossilized. Becauseof development
in some parts of the world where peat deposits are extensive,
preloading techniques through surcharging have been employed
with some successas a means of in-situ improvement of engi-
neering properties [1-3], and this preloading rendersthem capable
of satisfactorily supporting properly designed, that is, sufficiently
I Assistant professor of civil engineering, University of Riyadh, Riyadh,
Saudi Arabia; formerly graduate student, Department of Civil and En-
vironmental Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison..
2Professor of civil and environmental engineering and engineering
mechanics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wis. 53706.
@1981 by the American Society for Testing and Materials
1981
flexible, structures. It is of prime importance to understand and
quantify the consolidation responseof peat soils in order to employ
such techniques and to predict the long-term settlement of struc-
tures supported by these soils. Furthermore, because of the
increased awarenessof the ecological value of the wetlands, the
management of the impact of man's activities on the wetlands
requires a more precise understanding of the behavior of' wetland
deposits.This study is a laboratory investigation of the consolidation
behavior of peat soils; the prediction of field consolidation behavior
is considered to be outside the scope of this study. Test results
indicate the limitations of the conventional proceduresin the case
of peats.
PeatsInvestigated
The variability of the peat can be substantial even for samples
from adjacent parts of the bog. Fiber content appearsto be a major
compositional factor in determining the way in which peaty soils
behave.For this researchprogram, four types of peat, constituting
a reasonablywide range of fiber contents, were investigated. The
data available show fiber contents ranging from less than 5 to
95% for peats [4]; however, most Wisconsin peats fall into the
50% or less category. The rubbed fiber content determined in
accordancewith the method suggestedby Lynn et al [5] ranged
from low (about 20%) to relatively high (about 60%) for the peats
used. Peats, referred to as "histosols" in soil science literature,
have been surveyed and classified in many parts of the world.
Accordingly, the sources of samples for this study were located
by using the soil surveys in Wisconsin. The sampling sites were
Fond du Lac County, the city of Portage, Waupaca County, and
the city of Middleton [6]. The samples ranged from amorphous
granular peat (in which the soil particles are mainly colloidal and
the majority of pore water is adsorbed around the grain structure)
to fibrous peat (which has essentially an open structure with
interstices filled with a secondary structural arrangement of
nonwoody, fine fibrous material, with most of the water occurring
as free water rather than as viscousadsorbedwater, in accordance
with the description given by MacFarlane and Radforth [7).
At all sites, the peat deposit occurred at the ground surface.
Sampling was achieved by pushing Ii 76-mm Shelby tube (thin-
walled tube sampler with a ,:,erysharp leading edge) to cut into
the peat deposit and subsequently reaching below the sampler
by excavating the material surrounding it and lifting it with a
shovel.A portion of the sample in each tube was usedto determine
the characteristicsof the peat. The averageproperties obtained for
the four types of peat are given in Table 1. These properties
were determined largely in accordance with the procedures sug-
gestedin the Muskeg Engineering Handbook [8], and the details
and modifications were describedby Dhowian [6]. The last column
0149-6115/80/0009-0105$00.40
11'1..
106 GEOTECHNICAL TESTING JOURNAL

TABLE I-A verage properties of peat samples.

Rubbed Vane
Water Unit Ash Fiber Shear
Content. Weight. Content. Specific Content. Strength,
Sourceof Samples % kN/mJ .,. Gravity 0;0 pH kPa
-- .
Fond du Lac County 240 10.2 39.8 1.94 20 6.24 27.0
Portage bOO 9.6 19.5 1.72 31 7.30 14.4
Waupaca County 460 9.6 15.0 1.68 50 6.20 IS.O
Middleton 510 9.1 12.0 1.41 64 7.00 22.0

in Table 1 gives the classification of these peats according to the ExperirnentaJProcedure

soil science classification suggestedby Lynn et al [5], which is
based primarily on rubbed fiber ~ontent. All three classesrec-
ognized (fibric, hemic, and sapric) by this system are represented
by the samplesused.
In order to develop a visual appreciation of the peats tested,
their ,microstructures were examined under a scanning electron
microscope.Samplesof peat were dried and small specimenswere
fractured to exposesurfaces. An examination of the micrographs
of the peat samples (Fig. 1) indicates that Middleton Peat is
made of relatively uniformly shaped fibers with few soil grains
or particles in between. Fond du Lac Peat, on the other hand,
has more soil grains and particles than the other t1:Jreetypes of
peat. The differences in fiber content as determined in the lab-
oratory are reflected in the photomicrographs. It was also noted
that Portage Peat contained certain woody pieces larger than the
fibers (not shownin Fig. 1).
One-dimensional consolidation tests were performed to de-
termine the deformation with time and the deformation with stress
behavior of peats. Portage Peat, intermediate in its characteristics
between highly fibrous and amorphous granular peats, was sub-
jected to a more intensive testing program, including (1) con-
solidation tests on vertical and horizontal specimenswith pore
pressure, effluent outflow, and permeability measurementsmade
with an Anteus consolidometer, (2) four conventional fixed ring
consolidation tests, and (3) five consolidation tests in connection
with the determination of gas generation and specimen height
effects. These consolidation tests (a total of eleven), each taking
several months to conduct, were useful in establishing the con-
solidation behavior with confidence and provided a measure of
quantitative variation in the behavior of this peat deposit. An
extension of the compressionbehavior to other types of peat was

MIDDLETON PEAT WAUPACA PEAT

lOOp.

PORTAGEPEAT FONDDU LAC PEAT

FIG. I-Scanning electron micrographs offour peat samples.

sought by a series of simple fixed-ring consolidation tests on the
other three peat samples.
Except for a limited number of tests run in a specially designed
test tube with specimenswith a diameter of 73 mm and an initial
height of 228 mm, most test specimenshad a diameter of 63 mm
and an initial height of 19 mm. The consolidation stresseswere
applied incrementally, in most casesstarting with 25 kPa and then
increasing by double the existing pressure increment until a
pressure of 400 kPa was reached (a pressure increment ratio of
1 was used throughout this testing program). Specimens were
allowed to compressunder each increment of pressurefor 20 days
before a new increment of pressurewas applied. For two specimens
of Portage Peat, the last pressureincrement (200 to 400 kPa) was
left on the specimen for 300 days. After this time, the rate of
compressionof the specimenbecametoo slow to be of significance.
Unloading was accomplished in steps by removing 50% of the
existing pressure at a time and leaving the specimen under that
reduced pressure between 24 and 48 h. This period of time was
found to be sufficient to completethe rebound.
The main consolidation apparatus used in this study was a
modified Anteus back pressure consolidation device [9], which
uses conventional-size specimens and a consolidation ring lined
with Teflon@to reduce the side friction. In this study, the Anteus
consolidometer was modified to have two additional features:
(1) a sensitive pressure transducer to measure the excess pore
water pressureat the bottom of the specimenwhile the pore water
is draining from the top and (2) burettes connected to the top
and bottom of the specimento measurethe coefficient of permea-
bility before the application of a stress increment during con-
solidation by the variable head method. The top burrette was
FIG. 2- Vertical strain. normalized effluent outflow. and excesspore pressure versuslogarithm of time
for a Portage Peat specimen under thefirst
DHOWIAN AND EDIL ON PEATS 107
also usedduring consolidation to monitor the effluent outflow. The
conventional fixed-ring consolidometers, which were used to
supplement the consolidation data, provided data only on vertical
compressionversustime. The preparation of consolidation speci-
mens of peat requires considerable care becauseof the presence
of fibers, roots, and large woody materials. Sharp knives and
razors were used to trim the specimensand to cut the roots and
large fibers in placeto minimize disturbance.
Most of the experimental work was performed in a temperature-
controlled room. Maintaining constant temperature is necessary
to minimize the effects arising from temperature fluctuations
during such long-term tests, especiallyin view of the known sensi-
tivity of secondarycompression of soils to temperature changes.
The room temperature was maintained at about 20°C with a small
fluctuation of :to.SoC.
ConsoUdationBehavior
The term "consolidation" is used herein to designate the one-
dimensional time-dependent compressionof peats, and it includes
both hydrodynamic effects and other mechanismsof compression.
The discussionhere is based primarily on the observationsof the
consolidation behavior of Portage Peat, a fibrous peat with an
intermediate fiber content.
The relationship between strain and the logarithm of time for
the first increment of loading for a Portage Peat specimen is
given in Fig. 2 along with pore pressure and normalized effluent
outflow responses.As indicated in Fig. 2, the strain/time curve
is not similar to those obtained for clay soils and even for some
organic soils, that is, the usual primary consolidation curve is
stress increment (back pressure = 560 kPa).
108 GEOTECHNICAL TESTING JOURNAL
not apparent. The strain/logarithm of time (E/log t) curve consists
of four componentsof strain. Thesecomponentscan be identified
as
(1) an instantaneous strain Ej, which takes place immediately
after the application of a pressure increment, possibly the result
of the compressionof air voids and the elastic compressionof the
peat;
(2) a primary strain component Ep' which occurs at a relatively
high rate and continuesfor severalminutes to a time la (Fig. 2);
(3) a secondarystrain component Es,which results from a linear
increase of strain with the logarithm of time for a number of
additional log cyclesof time until a time It, after which the time
rate of compressionincreasessubstantially giving rise to a tertiary
strain component;
(4) the tertiary strain component E" which continues indef-
initely until the whole compressionprocessceases.
The E/log I responseshown in Fig. 2 was observed, with slight
variations, for all peat samples tested in thjs study. This type of
response,referred to as Type III curve [10,11], had been observed
for some highly plastic clays and maintenance dredgings [11,12];
however, there has not been clear recognition of it in the caseof
peats [1,13-22J.
The dissipation of excess'pore water pressureis nearly completed
within 10 min for the first increment of load, and there appears
to be an approximate correspondencebetween the time for the
completedissipationof excessporepressureand la' which desig-
natesthe completion of the primary componentof strain. However,
with the application of additional stress increments, this cor-
respondenceis lost and the time for the completion of excesspore
pressure dissipation increases as the applied stress increment
increases.This is shown in Fig. 3, where vertical strain, excess
pore pressure,and normalized effluent outflow responsesare given
as a function of the logarithm of time for additional stress in-
crements. It is noted that for the last two increments of pressure
the peak excesspore pressuredevelopsapproximately 1 min after
the application of stress increment. The observedchange in pore
pressureresponsewith increasing stress can be attributed to the
drastic decrease in permeability and compressibility with in-
creasing stress. Furthermore, with increasing time from the
beginning of a test, a certain amount of gas is generated because
of decompositionin the peat, and this generatedgas may contribute
to the time lag in the developmentof the peak excesspore pressure.
The change in permeability as a result of compressionis drastic
for peats, Portage Peat initially has a relatively high permeability
comparable to fine sand or silty sand, as shownin Fig. 4. However,
as compression proceeds and void ratio decreasesrapidly, per-
meability is greatly reduced (about 10 OOO-fold)to a value com-
parable to that of a clay, Also shown in Fig. 4 is the anisotropy
in permeability resulting from fiber orientation with a horizontal
permeability higher (about 300-fold at a given void ratio) than the
vertical.
The normalized effluent outflow curves, obtained by dividing
the effluent outflow by the initial volume of the specimen prior
to the application of each stress increment (~V IV 0)' indicate
a certain similarity to the E/log I curves shown in Figs. 2 and 3.
It is interesting to observethat water continues ftowing out of the
specimeneven after the dissipation of the measurablepore water
pressure,thereby implying that the outflow is not tot~lIy controlled
hy the macro-hvdrodvnamic effects. The trend 9,ivessupport to
the conception of the two-level structure for fibrous peats [17) with
a network of interconnected macropores and micropores. Micro-
pores result from the compressibleand porous nature of the solid
phase, that is, the fibers. In this case, after the dissipation of
measurable pore water pressure the water will still continue to
flow from the micropores into the macroporesand then out of the
specimento be collected in the outflow burrette.
Strain/time Response
The four components of strain were quite distinguishable in
the E/log t curvesfor the first stressincrement but not well defined
for the advanced stressincrements (compare Figs. 2 and 3). The
average values of ta and tk' which designate the times for the
transitions from the primary to the secondaryand from the sec-
ondary to the tertiary compression,respectively,are given in Table
2 at various stressincrementsfor all specimenstested from Portage
Peat. No discernible variation of these two parameters as a result
of change in specimenthickness or amount of back pressurewas
observed. It is noted that values of ta lie within 1.5 min for all
three increments except the last one, at which there is a marked
increase in ta as ta and tk merge into each other. On the other
hand, tk decreaseswith increasing pressureincrement from a value
of approximately 2500 min down to a few minutes when it ap-
proaches ta and when the secondary and tertiary compression
components merge into each other. The disappearance of the
tertiary compressiontook place at about 400 kPa for most Portage
Peat specimens.
The continued compression may take a long time in the lab-
oratory. The last increment of consolidation pressure(200 to 400
kPa) was applied for a period of about a year on two specimens
of Portage Peat. The f/log t curve is given in Fig. 5 for one of
thesespecimens.After a few minutes the mergedsecondary/tertiary
compression begins and continues until about 300 days when,
finally, compressionbecomesinsignificant.
Instantaneous and Primary Compression-The averagevalues
and the range of variation of the instantaneous strain f; and the
sum of the instantaneousand the primary strainsE;+ Epasobtained
from the four conventional consolidation tests on Portage Peat
are given in Fig. 6a as a function of consolidation pressure.
The instantaneous and primary compression together result in
nearly 10% strain under the first increment of pressure.However,
thereafter it remains relatively constant for the remaining pressure
increments at about 2% strain. The instantaneouscomponent of
strain makes up the bulk of the compressionby the end of the
primary stage. The application of a back pressureof 560 kPa re-
sulted in decreasedvalues of the instantaneous strain, especially
in the advancedstressincrements, possibly as a result of the better
control of the generated gas. However, the overall effect of back
pressureon the sum of the instantaneous and the primary strain
components was not significant. The differences in specimen
thicknessand drainage path length appearedto haveno discernible
effect on the magnitudes of the instantaneous and the primary
strains as they did not havean effect on the time for the completion
of thesestrains, that is, ta.
SecondaryCompression-To provide a quantitative comparison
of the behavior of the compressioncurvesbeyondthe instantaneous
and primary strains with time and pressure, the slopes of the
straight line components of the compressioncurves are expressed
as the change in void ratio with the logarithm of time (/le/ /llog t)
 DHOWIAN AND EDIL ON PEATS 109

-VERTICAL STRAIN -NORMALIZED OOTFLOW .EXCESS PORE PRESSURE

a:
0

w
z
<i
a:
~
~
«
~
f-
a:
~

FIG. J-Conso/idation data/or a Portage Peat specimen {back pressure = 560 kPaJ.

and designated as al and a2, respectively. These two coefficients
expressthe rates of secondaryand tertiary compressionin terms of
void ratio. The averagevalues and the range of variation of al for
the conventional cmsolidation tests on Portage Peat are given as
a function of log U,where q is consolidation pressure, in Fig. 6b.
Note that al does not vary with consolidation pressure; further-
more, it wasobservedthat variation in back pressureand specimen
thickness appeared to have no discernible effect on al. The test
results showed that an averagevalue of al equal to 0.17 or 0.18
was a reasonablevalue for PortagePeat.
Tertiary Compression-The average values and the range of
variation of the rate of tertiary compressiona2 are given in Fig. 6c
as a function of log q asa2 decreasesfrom about 0.60 at 2S kPa to
nearly0.18 at 400 kPa. It is interestingto note that the final valuesof
a2 approachthe averagevalueof aI, indicating that the tertiary com-
ponent of compression merges with the secondary compression
at high consolidation pressures.Applying back pressureappeared
to have someinfluence on the value of a2 at a given consolidation
pressure, generally decreasing its value. The application of. back
pressurecontrolled the generation of gas, which becamesignificant
particularly at the later stagesof the test. There was no discernible
effect of the specimenthickness (or the length of drainage) on the
rate of tertiary compression.as was the casewith rate of secondary
compression. This observation was also reported by Schroeder
and Wilson [22J and Weber [2]. The results of a test run on a
specimen of Portage Peat trimmed with the longitudinal axis in
the horizontal direction indicated that there was a decreasein al
and a2 for the horizontal specimenwhen comparedwith the vertical
110 GEOTECHNICAL TESTING JOURNAL

specimen. However, becauseof the significant difference in the

initial void ratios of these two specimens, it was not possible to
conclude whether theseeffects were largely microstructural.

Void Ratio/Stress Response

The void ratio at the end of 20 days versus log ;; curve for six
consolidation tests on Portage Peat are given in Fig. 7. The
equilibrium void ratios given in this figure reflect. all the com-
pression by the end of 20 days for a given stress increment. The
curvesare offset becauseof the differencesin the initial void ratios.
However, the overall response is similar for all the specimens.
Basically, the curves are composed of two segmentsof straight
lines. The first segment has a relatively steep slope and, hence,
a high compression index (Cc = 4.70). The compression index
decreasesbeyond a consolidation stressof 100 kPa to "an average
value of 2.9. The swell index Cs is about ten times less than the
compression index: This is particularly important in connection
with the preloading of peat depositsfor the improvementof strength
and compressive properties. The shape of the e/log ;; curve is
relatively insensitive to the time at which the equilibrium void
ratio is calculated.
It has been suggestedthat, for natural soils, there is a unique
relationship between the rate of secondary compression and the
FIG. 4-Coefficient of permeability versus void ratio for vertical and compression index (23J. An examination of this relationship is
horizontal specimensof Portage Peat. complicated for the peats tested because of the existence of a
tertiary compression in addition to the secondary and the two
virgin compression indices (Ccl and CcV. The ratio of a( and
a2 with Cc (Ccl or Cc2' depending on the consolidation pressure)
TABLE 2-;-Change in t.
and tk with pressure for Portage
is given in Table 3 for PortagePeat. The al/Cc ratio variesbetween
Peat (average values for all tests).
0.028 and 0.062, whereas a2/Cc decreaseswith increasing con-
Pressure Increment, la- 't.- solidation pressurefrom 0.130 to 0.066. All the valuesof a/Cc lie
kPa min miD within the narrow range of 0.028 to 0.130; however, the upper
limit is greater than 0.100, which is the limit suggestedfor all
0-25 1.35 2472
25-SO 0.48 1488
natural soilsincluding peatsby Mesri and Godlewski (23J.
SO-l00 0.49 1284 The application of back pressureand the orientation of the test
100-200 1.49 468 specimenwith respect to the major principal consolidation stress
200-400 2.68 appearedto havevery little effect on the shapeof the e/log ;; curve
with minor differences in compression index within the range of
applied consolidation pressures.

w
z
C
~
..
In
...
~
;:
~
~

FIG. 5-Straul versus time curve for long-term consolidation on a specimen C!f Por-
tage Peat.

FIG. 6-Compression parameters versus consolidation stress for
PortagePeat.
Influence of PeatType on ConsoUdatlonBehavior
To study the variations from the behavior described in the pre-
ceding sectionsfor Portage Peat, three other peats, namely Mid-
dleton, Waupaca, and Fond du Lac Peats,were tested..The E/log t
curvesfollowed the samepattern as the Portage Peat curvesexcept
that the primary component of strain was not discernible in all
three peats tested. Therefore, the instantaneous strain appeared
to be followed directly by linear strain on a plot of E/log t. The
variation of Ej + Ep and the values of <Xland <X2as functions of
log u are given in Fig. 8 for all peats; the points for Portage Peat
representthe averageof four identical tests.
The initial strain (Ej + Ep)is relatively high for the first increment
of pressureapplied. However, subsequentto the first increment of
stress,it dropsto an averagestrain of 2.21170for all typesof peat
tested. The points in Fig. 8a for the additional three peatsrepresent
only Ej since Epwas not discernible. It is possible to distinguish
broadly between fibrous and amorphous granular peats in terms
of <XI.The fibrous peats have an average<XIequal to 0..13,whereas
the amorphousgranular peat has an average<XIof 0.04. A similar
pattern is observedwith respect to <X2'it being constant for amor-
phous granular peat with an averagevalue of 0.16 and decreasing
linearly for fibrous peats with increasing consolidation pressure.
Also, in general, the average<X2 value for the fibrous peats is hi~her
DHOWIAN AND EDIL ON PEATS
FIG. 7- Void ratio/logarithm of stress curves for Portage Peat.
TABLE 3-a/Cc ratio for Portage Peat.
Consolidation Pressure.
kPa al/C, aJCc
25 0.043 0.130
50 0.028 0.098
100 0.036 0.089
200 0.062 0.093
400 0.055 0.066
than the value for amorphousgranular peat at a given consolidation
stress. However, at a stressof 400 kPa, the <X2values for fibrous
and amorphousgranular peatsbecomenearly equal.
Figure 8 suggeststhat the classification of peatsbroadly into two
categories of fibrous and amorphous granular, as suggestedby
MacFarlane and Radford [7], is appropriate in terms of their
consolidation behavior, with distincly lower magnitudes and rates
of compressionfor the amorphous granular peats. The differences
in void ratio appear to be more significant than fiber content
in controlling the rates of compressionof fibrous peats. Figure 9
gives <XIas a function of natural void ratio at the beginning of
the test for each peat sample. A nearly linear increasein <XIwith
increasing void ratio is observed. In Fig. 10, <X2is plotted as a
function of void ratio at the beginning of the application of each
stress increment. The test results for all fibrous peats indicate a
linear increase in <X2 as a function of void ratio, whereas<X2does
not vary with void ratio for amorphousgranular peats.
Becausefp was not apparent for the three additional types of
peat tested, there was no discernible t" associatedwith these types
(ta was 1.5 min or lessfor PortagePeat). The time for the beginning
of the tertiary compressiontk is given in Fig. 11 for all four peats
as a function of consolidation stress. For the first increment of
stress, tk has large values (1000 to 5000 min), but under sub-
sequent pressureincrements it stabilizes at around 200 min. The
variation of tk with respectto the type of peat and initial void ratio
(or water content) appears to be relatively insignificant and with-
out any consistenttrend beyondthe first stressincrement.
112 GEOTECHNICAL TESTING JOURNAL

FIG. IO-Rate of tertiary compression versus void ratio for four peats.

5.0, '8 , I I I
.Mloo..E~
.WAUPACA
-PORTAGE
4.('11
oFOOD DU LAC
'" I
0 I
-;c: 3.01
z-
~- :
..
.:; 2.01
~
j::
I.O!
.
i

v~- - .
10 100 1000
CONSOLIDATION PRESSURE.
FIG. 8-Compression parameters versus consolidation stressfor four a'(kPa)
peats.
FIG. II-Time tk versus consolidation pressure for four peats (con-
ventional consolidation tests).

In Eq 2, ta is neglected in the third term since it is a very small

number compared to t.t, eo is the initial void ratio for the pressure
increment, and the values of Ej + Ep' a" a2, and t.t can be esti-
mated from the relationships given here by using the information
about the void ratio and fiber content.
The compression characteristics of the four peat samples are
compared in Fig. 12 in terms of e/log ucurves. The curve for the
Portage Peat is the averageof all the specimenstested. The fibrous
peats behave similarly and they all have high compressionindices
as well as two-segment virgin compression curves. Fond du Lac
Peat, which is an amorphous granular peat, is distinctly different
in its e/log u responsethan the fibrous peats, both the initial value
In summary, it is possibleto predict the strain in one-dimensional of its void ratio as well as its compressionindex being much lower
laboratory compressionat a time t greater than tk using the fol- than those of the fibrous peats. Furthermore. the virgin curve
lowing equation: obtained consistedof a single straight line similar to the ones ob-
E(t)= Ej+ Ep+ E,+ Et(t) servedin inorganic soils.
(1)
or
Discussionof Test Results
E(t)= Ej + Epl[a) /(1 + eo)]
The laboratory test results indicate the presenceof a tertiary
logtk + [a2/(1 + eo)]log(t - tk) (2) compressionfor the peat samplesused in the study. Such a tertiary
 C
:~::~
DHOWIAN AND EDIL ON PEATS 113

~
In
0
N
. .

FIBROUS
I . . . .I

PEAT
{ -
--
,.,
MIDDLETON
WAUPACA
, , . , 2. The presenceof a two-level structure, involving macropores
and micropores and resulting from a compressible and porous
solid phase within the peat system, is suggestedby the photo-
~
C
- PORTAGE micrographs and the other evidence. However, it was not possible,
0 .-0- FOND du LAC within the scopeof this study, to relate the changesin the shape
(\I
... of the compression curve to the physical processesthat may be
0
C Cc=410
. Cc : 3.10
responsiHefor thesechanges.
Z I 2
.., 3. Both the secondary and the tertiary compressionsof these
..,
T
AMORPHOUS PEAT,' highly compressiblematerials have a constant rate, and these rates
l- ~ Cc=I.68/ depend primarily on void ratio; peat type appears to be of sec-
I-
~ ~ ondary importance. Classification of peatsbroadly in two categories
0
of fibrous and amorphous granular appears warranted becauseof
-- - -- - -
5
-0.40
~
IX: C-0.3
-0-- -".- --0- their consolidation behavior.
C
5
4. Recognition of the distinct consolidation characteristics of
(5
> peats is important in providing insights into testing proceduresand
,. , , , , . , .,I ,." , i , ,: the analysisof test results. ..
10 100 1,000
CONSOLIDATION PRESSURE. V (kPa)

FIG. 12- Void ratio/logarithm of stresscurvesfor four peats. Acknowledgments

The senior author was supported financially by the University
compressionfor peats was not clearly recognized by previous in-
of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during this work. Special recognition
vestigators, perhaps partly becauseof the relatively short testing
is given to Mr. N. H. Seversonfor his assistanceduring the sampling
periods allowed, like the ones in conventional tests for inorganic
and testing phaseof this work. ProfessorG. B. Lee is acknowledged
soils. Certain authors display this tertiary strain component in
for his assistance in locating the sampling sites and providing
their plots but omit mention of it. However, a linear extension
background information on peat characteristics.
of secondary compression could lead to a considerable under-
estimation of long-term compression of peat soils. There are no
reports known to the authors concerning the occurrence of a References
tertiary compressionin field tests. Whether this is just a laboratory
(IJ Lea, N. D. and Brawner, C. 0., "Highway Design and Construction
phenomenonor it also exists in the field remains unresolved. over Peat Deposits in Lower British Columbia," Highway Research
It was not possible in this study to explain the mechanisms Record. No.7, 1963, pp. 1-32.
responsible for different components of the compression of peat (21 Weber. W. G.. "Performance of Embankments Constructed over
soils. It is, however, clear that the mechanisms are unlike the Peat." Jo/lr",,1 qf ,lte Soil MecIt,,";cs "lid Fo/llld,,';olls D;v;sioll. Pro-
c'eed;lIgsqf tlte Amer;c,," Soc';etyqf Civil Ellg;lIeers, Vol. 95, No.
ones encountered in inorganic soils, and a two-level structural
SMI, Jan. 1969, pp. 53-76.
arrangement is supported by both the photomicrographs and the (3J Samson, L. and LaRochelle, P., "Design and Performance of an
test data. Also unexplained is the reason why a tertiary com- ExpresswayConstructed over Peat by Preloading," Canadian Geo-
pressionoccurs after 1000to 10 000 min during laboratory testing. technical Journal; Vol. 9, No.4, Nov. 1972,pp. 447-466.
There are also certain implications with regard to the testing (4J Frazier, B. E. and Lee, G. B., "Characteristics and Classification
of Three Wisconsin Histosols," Soil Science Society of America
proceduresto be used in connection with peaty soils. For example, Proceedings,Vol. 35, No.5, Sept./Oct. 1971,pp. 776-780.
conventional testing periods appear to be relatively short for dis- (5J Lynn, W. C., McKinzie, W. E., and Grossman, R. B., "Field Lab-
closing the long-term compression of peats. Furthermore, the oratory Tests for Characterization of Histosols," in Histo/s: Their
shapeof the laboratory compression/time curve doesnot lend itself Characteristics. Classificatioll. and Use, No.6, Soil Science Society
to the conventional curve-fitting methods. Gas generation in long- of America, Madison, Wis., 1974.
(6J Dhowian, A. W., "Consolidation Effects on Properties of Highly
term tests and its influence on consolidation behavior are other Compressible Soils-Peats," Ph.D. thesis, Department of Civil and
problems to be considered. Construction of e/log u curves also Environmental Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1978.
presents a problem since there is no well-defined equilibrium void (7) MacFarlane, 1. C. and Radforth, N. W., "A Study of the Physical
ratio to be used in such plots; furthermore, the usefulnessof these Behavior of Peat Derivatives Under Compression," in Proceedings
of the Tellth Muskeg Research Conference, National Research
plots for peats is somewhatobscure. Council of Canada, University of Toronto Press, Montreal, Canada,
1965.
(8J MacFarlane, I. C., Muskeg Engineering Handbook, National Re-
Conclusions search Council of Canada, University of Toronto Press, Toronto,
Based on the laboratory investigation of one-dimensional com- Canada, 1969.
(9) Lowe, J., Jr., Zaccheo, P. F., and Feldman, H. S., "Consolidation
pression behavior of the peat samples, the following conclusions Testing with Backpressure," Jourllal of the Soil Mechallics alld
can be advanced: Foundation Division, Proceedings of the American Society of Civil
Engilleers, Vol. 90, No. SM5, Sept. 1964,pp. 69-86.
1. The consolidation characteristics of peats, in particular the (10J Leonards, G. A. and Girault, P., "Study of the One-Dimensional
shape of the compression/time relationship, appear to be quite Consolidation Test," in Proceedings of the Fifth mternatiollal
different from those of most inorganic soils. The rate of the Conferenceon Soil Mechanics and Foundatioll Engineerillg, Vol. 1,
secondarycompression in terms of the logarithm of time is not Ounod, Paris, France, 1961,pp. 213-218.
(l1J La, K. Y., "Secondary Compression of Clays," Journal of the Soil
constant; it increasesafter a certain critical time, giving rise to Mechanics and Foundation Division. Proceedings of the American
a "tertiary" compression stage. Serious errors may result from Societyof Civil Engineers, Vol. 87, No. SM4, Aug. 1961,pp. 61-87.
extending the linear portion of the secondarycompressioncurve. (12J Krizek, R. J. and Salem, A. M., "Behavior of Dredged Materials in~
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gineering Department, Northwestern University, Evanston, 111.,to
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1974.
[13) Buisman, A. S. K., "Results of Long Duration Settlement Tests," in
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[/4) Hanrahan, E. T., "An Investigation of Some Physical Properties of
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[/61 Adams, J. I., "Laboratory Compression Tests on Peat," in Pro-
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versity of Toronto Press,Montreal, Canada, 1961,pp. 36-54.
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[19] Barden, L., "Time Dependent Deformation of Normally Consolidated
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[20] Berry, P. L. and Poskitt, T. J., "The Consolidation of Peat," Geo-
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