SANTOS, J. D.; SANTOS, João de Deus dos.
Resumen:
The study presented in this dissertation concerns the consolidation of a soft clay from the city of João Pessoa, in the State of Paraíba, Brazil. The consol i dation properties were deter mined by means of consolidation tests in an oedometer, with undisturbed samples representative of various depths within the clay layer. Tests were also performed in order to determine the clay cha rac ter i s t i es , in terms of plasticity, grain size and specific gravity. The parameters of consol i da ti on and coji sistency obtained during the laboratory program were analyzed in relation to their variation as a function of depth. The results of this analysis show that the coefficient of consol idation Cy and the coefficient of permeability K, of the soil which was studied are practically constant throughout the layer, while the coefficient of compressibility av, the compressive index Cc, and void ratio decrease with increase of depth. These results also permit the formulation
of mathematical reiationships, some of them showing notable statistical validity, thus permitting their use in civil engineering designs.