Settlement analysis on reclamation area
Settlement analysis on reclamation area
(OP)
Dear all,
I have a project regarding settlement analysis on reclamation region. The background of the study are:
(1) Continous ground settlement was found over past 15 years. This was reviewed by records of settlement markers (nearest 5 years) and visual inspections on site. Settlement on some locations with thick clay layer can be 1.5m!
(2) The ground conditions were reviewed by current ground invetigation works. A 4.0 to 6.0m of fill layer is overlaying marine clay with thickness varying 8.0 to 15.0m. Below the clay layer, it is alluvium and decomposed rock.
The scope is to find out the settlement is active or not and to advise the amount of residential settlement.
However, my problems are: there is no information on past site formation and ground conditions, and no settlement records since the completion of site formation are available.
By laboratory tests, I determine existing void ratio and existing consolidation parameters. However, initial void ratio, total amount of settlement and initial consolidation parameters are unknown..???
I proposed to carry out vane shear tests to determine current effective stress of clay layer by an empirical formula. (Degree of consolidation = current effective stress / final effective stress) Any comments on this?
Can anyone suggests any information/ journal regarding to this kind of analysis?
I have a project regarding settlement analysis on reclamation region. The background of the study are:
(1) Continous ground settlement was found over past 15 years. This was reviewed by records of settlement markers (nearest 5 years) and visual inspections on site. Settlement on some locations with thick clay layer can be 1.5m!
(2) The ground conditions were reviewed by current ground invetigation works. A 4.0 to 6.0m of fill layer is overlaying marine clay with thickness varying 8.0 to 15.0m. Below the clay layer, it is alluvium and decomposed rock.
The scope is to find out the settlement is active or not and to advise the amount of residential settlement.
However, my problems are: there is no information on past site formation and ground conditions, and no settlement records since the completion of site formation are available.
By laboratory tests, I determine existing void ratio and existing consolidation parameters. However, initial void ratio, total amount of settlement and initial consolidation parameters are unknown..???
I proposed to carry out vane shear tests to determine current effective stress of clay layer by an empirical formula. (Degree of consolidation = current effective stress / final effective stress) Any comments on this?
Can anyone suggests any information/ journal regarding to this kind of analysis?





RE: Settlement analysis on reclamation area
Have you carefully studied Chuck Ladd's work in this area at MIT? You really need to read - and understand - SHANSEP as soon as possible (if you have not already done so) before you start working with the in situ vane.
My first impression is that you will have the same problem with strength ratio that you have with initial void ratio (which is what you really want): you don't have good (any?) pre-improvement data.
Have you carefully run consolidation tests on high quality samples from this site? You may be better off using high quality consolidation data and the site history to reconstruct what has probably happened, and what is likely to happen in the future. And this is what you really need to answer the question of whether "consolidation" has stopped.
RE: Settlement analysis on reclamation area