Creep in Primary Consolidation with Rate of Loading Approach

Area of Science:

• Geotechnical Engineering
• Soil Mechanics
• Civil Engineering

Background:

• The phenomenon of creep in primary consolidation remains a subject of debate in geotechnical engineering.
• Classical methods for predicting soil settlement may not fully capture long-term consolidation behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze creep in primary consolidation using a novel power law model.
• To propose and validate an approach where creep is considered as a rate of loading.
• To compare the predictive accuracy of this new approach with the classical method for long-term settlement.

Main Methods:

• A power law model was employed to analyze creep during primary consolidation.
• Standard oedometer tests and oedometer tests with prevented drainage were conducted on various soil samples.
• Long-term settlement data from the San Jacinto Monument case history (over 80 years) were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Creep exponents derived from different test conditions showed strong agreement.
• The proposed rate-of-loading approach demonstrated consistency with the San Jacinto Monument case history data.
• The new approach provided predictions that differed from those obtained using the classical method.

Conclusions:

• The study validates a new approach to understanding and modeling creep in primary consolidation.
• This rate-of-loading approach offers a potentially more accurate method for predicting long-term soil settlement.
• The findings challenge the limitations of classical consolidation theories in capturing long-term soil behavior.