Question

The changes that take place during the process of consolidation of saturated clay would include

Answer 1

Consolidation is a process by which soils decrease in volume. According to the "father of soil mechanics", Karl von Terzaghi, consolidation is "any process which involves a decrease in water content of saturated soil without replacement of water by air". In general it is the process in which reduction in volume takes place by expulsion of water under long-term static loads. It occurs when stress is applied to a soil that causes the soil particles to pack together more tightly. When this occurs in a soil that is saturated with water, water will be squeezed out of the soil. The magnitude of consolidation can be predicted by many different methods. In the Classical Method, developed by Terzaghi, soils are tested with an oedometer test to determine their compression index. This can be used to predict the amount of consolidation.

Answer 2

Consolidation of saturated clay is where the clay starts to loose its water and decreasing in its size due to increased temperatures, the water lost paves in space for air the clay decreases in-size because the space occupied by water molecules is larger than the space replaced by air. the clay be at least  smooth and able for modeling, intense evaporation of water may lead to cracking of clay