Appraisal Of Electro‐Osmotic Oedometer Tests

Abstract

While various engineering projects involving electro‐osmotic stabilization and consolidation of fine‐grained soils have been implemented with considerable success, attempts to estimate the progress of consolidation, even in laboratory experiments, have been far from satisfactory. This paper appraises the difficulties associated with the interpretation of experimental results of laboratory electro‐osmotic oedometer tests using the one‐dimensional linear theory of electro‐osmotic consolidation. In particular, it is examined if the accuracy of prediction can be improved by a more appropriate analysis of the distribution of electrical potentials within the laboratory sample.