Research Information System
Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment, vol.71, no.4, pp.735-745, 2012 (SCI-Expanded)
Conventional laboratory consolidation tests usually take weeks to conduct, depending on the field loading conditions. While centrifuge consolidation has been proven to shorten this period significantly, no attempt has been made to introduce this method to the professional community because the centrifuges are very large and are, for the most part, utilized only by scientists. The aim of this investigation is to illustrate the feasibility of using the centrifuge consolidation test as a practical tool to estimate the consolidation behavior of natural soils by employing a miniature centrifuge apparatus. Thirty-two soil samples were subjected to 1-D conventional and centrifuge consolidation tests. An empirical relationship was established between the two different consolidation techniques to predict the consolidation behavior. The consolidation curves of the 32 soil samples computationally-obtained from the centrifuge method were in good agreement with those obtained by the conventional method, hence it is possible to determine the recompression and compression indices with reasonable accuracy. The only practical limitation with the proposed apparatus is the determination of the consolidation coefficient; this part of the research remains in progress. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.