Abstract:

For studying consolidation mechanism of unsaturated soil which was correlative with matric suction, and extending the applicability of consolidation theory,consolidation mechanism of unsaturated soil under different saturations was discussed by analyzing the water soil characteristic curve based on the latest experiment results. The results indicated that the ultimate settlement is only related to the module of compression. The consolidation velocity of unsaturated soil is reducing with the initial degree of saturation, and the time of saturated soil achieved complete consolidation is longer than unsaturated soil. The instantaneous settlement of unsaturated soil under high degree is less than that under low degree in virtue of the compression of mixture in soil. Because of saturation and matric suction in consolidation, the consolidation settlement under high degree is more than that under low degree.

Key words: unsaturated soil, degree of saturation, consolidation, compressibility, matric suction