Study on secondary consolidation deformation of soft clay

The definition of secondary consolidation is investigated. The influences of stress level and stress history on secondary consolidation coefficient are discussed and the conclusion that the secondary consolidation coefficient of soft clay is independent of consolidation pressure is obtained. It is found that pre-compression method reduces the secondary consolidation coefficient, delays the occurrence of secondary consolidation and results in the reduction of consolidation deformation. The relationship between secondary consolidation coefficient and compression index is a constant ratio, which indicates that the load ratio has little influence on secondary consolidation coefficient. A simplified formula for calculating the secondary consolidation deformation is proposed and the validity of the formula is verified by the experimental results.