Efficiency of Seepage Consolidation for Preparation of Clay Substrate for Centrifuge Testing

摘要

Seepage consolidation under normal gravity conditions can be used to prepare clay soil substrates for subsequent testing in a geotechnical centrifuge. Currently available information provides no information regarding the general efficiency of this method, which would be expected to vary widely depending on centrifuge, test specimen, and operating conditions. A numerical investigation is presented of the efficiency of the two-stage seepage/centrifuge consolidation method for the preparation of normally consolidated clay substrates. Large strain consolidation simulations and experimental data for centrifuge and seepage/centrifuge consolidation tests conducted on reconstituted Singapore marine clay are in excellent agreement. A parametric study illustrates the effects of initial specimen void ratio, initial specimen height, surcharge stress, swelling time, and acceleration factor on the efficiency of the two-stage substrate preparation method. Efficiency of the method for Singapore marine clay ranged from 55 to essentially 100% for the simulations conducted.