ABSTRACT
In order to determine the effect of saturation degree on Warsaw clay stiffness a series of laboratory consolidation tests were conducted. The tests were carried out on undisturbed clay samples for different net stresses and degree of saturation values using the suction controlled consolidometer (called UPC- consolidometer). The UPC apparatus allows to performing consolidation tests on unsaturated soil samples controlling suction through the application of the “axis-translation technique”. The Casagrande’s method was applied for determination of the coefficient of consolidation cv. depending on the clay saturation degree. It was concluded that the value of the cv estimated for different values of suction—degree of saturation, decreases while loading increases. However, for the same level of loading the cv values decrease if applied suction increases (degree of saturation decreases).
