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Settlement
Settlement
INTRODUCTION
This document presents the procedures for calculating the elastic and
consolidation settlements of soil layers under superimposed loadings.
Settlements occur due to an increase in stress caused by the construction of
foundation or other loads that compresses the soil. The compression is
caused by (a) deformation of soil properties, (b) relocation of soil properties,
and (c) expulsion of water or air from the void spaces. Soil settlement can be
generalized into three categories: 1) Elastic settlement, or immediate
settlement, which is caused by elastic deformation of dry soil and of moist
and saturated soils without any change in the moisture content; 2) Primary
consolidation settlement, which is a result of a volume change in saturated
cohesive soils because of the water that occupies the void spaces; and 3)
Secondary consolidation settlement, which occurs after the dissipation of
excess pore water pressure and is a result of the plastic adjustment of soil
fabrics.
II. METHODOLOGY
Total Settlement
The total settlement of a foundation is given as
S T =S c + S s + Se (2.1)
where:
ST = total settlement
Sc = primary consolidation settlement
Ss = secondary consolidation settlement
Se = elastic settlement
where:
H = thickness of stratum
e = initial void ratio of soil
'
e = final void ratio of soil
where:
N =
average SPT-N value of soil layer over depth
B = width of footing
q = applied foundation pressure
Consolidation of Soil
When a saturated soil is subjected to a stress increase the pore water
pressure increases suddenly. The entire load is taken up by the water because
of its incompressibility property.
For sandy soils, the consolidation settlement occurs simultaneously with the
elastic settlement because of rapid drainage. For clayey layers, the
consolidation settlement occurs long after the elastic settlement because of
the low hydraulic conductivity of clay. The settlement caused by consolidation
in clay may be several times greater than the elastic settlement.
'0 + '
Sc=
Cc H
1+e 0
log
( '0 ) (2.3)
where:
Cc = compression index
H = thickness of stratum
e0 = initial void ratio
'
0 = initial vertical effective pressure
Sc=
Cs H
1+ e 0
log
(
+
0
'0 )
' ' '
If 0 + > c ,
(2.5)
' C H ' + '
C H
( )
S c = s log 'c + c log 0 '
1+ e 0 0 1+e 0 c ( )
where:
Cs = swell index
Compression Index,
Cc
Skempton (1944):
C c =0.009(10) (2.6)
where:
= liquid limit of soil
Swell Index,
Cs
(2.7)
1 1
C s Cc
5 10
Secondary Consolidation Settlement
A type of settlement resulting from the plastic adjustment of soil fabrics and
which occurs after the dissipation of excess pore water pressure.
The slope of the consolidation curve, called the secondary compression index,
is practically a straight line and is defined as
e (2.8)
C =
t
()
log 2
t1
t2
S c =C ' H log ()
t1
(2.9)
C
C' = (2.10
1+e p
)
where:
C = secondary compression index
ep = void ratio at the end of primary consolidation
t1 = time for completion of primary settlement
t2 = time after completion of primary settlement where settlement is
required
H = thickness of clay layer
Given the following data for each borehole, calculate the settlement caused
by consolidation.
Cc eo Po (kPa) P (kPa) H (m)
BH-1 s-1 0.405 2.65 90 30 12
BH-1 s-2 0.405 3.18 90 30 12
From EQ (2.3),
' '
H=
Cc H
1+e 0 ( +
log 0 '
0 )
( 0.405)(12) 90+ 30
H BH 1=
1+2.65
log ( 90 )
=0.166 m
( 0.405)(12) 90+ 30
H BH 2=
1+3.18
log ( 90 )
=0.145 m
0.166+ 0.145
Average Total Settlement= =0.156 m
2
IV. REFERENCES
Das, Braja (2011). Principles of Foundation Engineering 7 th Edition.