Effectiveness of filters in reducing consolidation time in routine laboratory testing

Vinayagamoothy Sivakumar, Pauline MacKinnon, Juliana Haji Zaini, P. Cairns

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    9 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The research reported here is based on the standard laboratory experiments routinely performed in order to measure various geotechnical parameters. These experiments require consolidation of fine-grained samples in triaxial or stress path apparatus. The time required for the consolidation is dependent on the permeability of the soil and the length of the drainage path. The consolidation time is often of the order of several weeks in large clay-dominated samples. Long testing periods can be problematic, as they can delay decisions on design and construction methods. Acceleration of the consolidation process would require a reduction in effective drainage length and this is usually achieved by placing filter drains around the sample. The purpose of the research reported in this paper is to assess if these filter drains work effectively and, if not, to determine what modifications to the filter drains are needed. The findings have shown that use of a double filter reduces the consolidation time several fold.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)949-956
    Number of pages8
    JournalGéotechnique
    Volume60
    Issue number12
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 12 Jul 2010

    Keywords

    • filters; clays; laboratory tests

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Earth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous)
    • Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology

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