(Unfinished) Consolidation and Settlement

CONSOLIDATION AND SETTLEMENT IN SOIL BEHAVIOR GEOTECHNICAL CONCERN FOR MINING INDUSTRY

Akbar Aprian, S.T.

Still wanna be Jr Geotech Engineer, Mining Engineering at Institut Teknologi Sumatera

akbaraprian04@gmail.com

        In geotechnical concern, there are 2 classification material. soft materials and we known as "soil" and hard materials as "rock". If we talk about soft materials, the best treatment/engineering is consolidation and settlement. The consolidation is means to the gradual reduction in volume and increase in density of a saturated soil due to sustained loading, occurring as water is expelled from the soil's pores and the load is transferred to the soil. The settlement is means to the downward vertical movement of the ground due to increased stress, causing soil particles to compress and reduce void spaces. The consolidation and settlement can be ilustrated in Pict. 1 and Pict. 2.

Picture 1. Settlement Ilustration

Sources : Elementary Engineering

Picture 2. Consolidation Ilustration
Sources : medium.com

Σ' = Σ - u

        Σ'  : Effective stress

        Σ  : Total stress
        u  : Pore pressure / groundwater pressure

       A soil is overconsolidated (OCR > 1) if its current stress is less than its past maximum, normally consolidated (OCR = 1) if its current stress equals its past maximum, and underconsolidated (OCR < 1) if its current stress is less than the stress it should be under based on its present overburden. Time rate consolidation