Development of prototype of constant pressure control for consolidation test

摘要

This research developed a prototype of constant pressure control for consolidation testing. This test is an essential method for determining soil parameters which can be used for calculating the settlement of soft clay layers. The conventional testing procedures are time consuming, taking at least a week to complete. This paper presents newly developed consolidation testing equipment using electronic devices and a pressure controller in term of applied load. This equipment reduced the time required for testing. The advantage of this device is that applied loading can be precisely controlled. In addition, a hydraulic loading system gives accurate control of the applied load over a wide range including high pressure on large diameter samples. Verification tests showed that the prototype equipment provided similar consolidation test results as those obtained from the conventional consolidation method.