Influence of particle size on soil consolidation processes

Settlements in infrastructure works such as roads, bridges and highways are often underestimated due to a lack of understanding of the phenomena associated with volumetric deformations of soils. This can lead to significant damage to the structures built on them and in some cases it will be necessary to demolish them or render them useless. This study shows the difference in longterm deformations that occur between two types of soil depending on their particle sizes. The study shows the results of two soil samples subject to consolidation, with identical initial moisture content, but with a different particle size distribution. It also shows how the consolidation process occurs and the direct influence of particle size on the long-term volumetric reduction process of soils.