Abstract
A formulation for the compression of sedimentary soils was attempted by separating the compression type into the rapid process of upper sediments and slow process of subsoils, based on both the experimental results and theoretical consideration.It is shown that the fundamental equations proposed can well explain the characteristics and behaviour of the compression of soils. The theoretical relationship between compression index and void ratio ensured the empirical relationships.Further, the results obtained indicates that the virgin compression curve to be predicted from the results of consolidation test may not accord with that of the true virgin compression. Therefore, it is likely that the conventional prediction method for settlement will underestimate or overestimate settlements.
