Change in pore size distribution owing to secondary consolidation of clays

Abstract

The preliminary results of a study using mercury-intrusion porosimetry on freeze-dried samples of clayey soils are presented. The amount of secondary consolidation has been varied for several samples of three soil types by holding the consolidation stress steady at 120 kPa for different durations. Examination of the pore size distribution curves reveals that secondary consolidation cannot be due solely to the deformation of micropores. The relative degree of change in total, free and entrapped porosity appears to be related to the proportion of each initially in the sample. Key words: clays, consolidation, compressibility, fabric-structure of soils, secondary compression.