Sedimentation of clayey slurry

In this paper, the sedimentation of clayey slurry is studied using Kynch’s theory. This theory is attractive as the only property needed, the permeability, can be determined from the surface settlement curve. The assumption in Kynch’s theory that the settling velocity is a function of the concentration alone is investigated first and found to depend also on the initial condition; an indication of the effect of flocculation. The theory is then reformulated and it is shown that the perme-ability-versus-void-ratio relationship of the slurry can be determined from its surface settlement versus time curve. Modifications that still maintained the simplicity of Kynch’s theory are then introduced to account for the dependence on an initial condition that reflects the changes in the soil fabric due to flocculation. A number of experiments are then conducted and the measured surface settlement and density are compared with the predicted values. The good agreement confirms the validity of the approach adopted.