Determination of consolidation coefficient for soft clay from DMTC dissipation tests

Based on the flat dilatometer test (DMT) theory, the method for deriving the coefficient of horizontal consolidation from DMTC dissipation tests is introduced. The DMTC test results of saturated soft clay ground in Shangqiu-Hefei-Hangzhou railway and Shanghai-Nantong railway are presented, and the coefficient of horizontal consolidation is obtained from the DMTC dissipation data. The results of the coefficient of horizontal consolidation are compared with CPTU dissipation test data and laboratory odometer test data. The comparison shows that the coefficients of horizontal consolidation determined by DMTC tests and CPTU tests are very close. The correlation is good for homogeneous soil, but bad for non-homogeneous soil. The coefficients of horizontal consolidation from laboratory odometer tests are smaller than those obtained by DMTC and CPTU tests, as reported by other researchers.