CONSOLIDATION AND SHEAR-STRENGTH PROPERTIES OF A LATERITIC SOIL

The consolidation and shear strength behaviour of a lateritic soil dev eloped on Tertiary basalt in southeast Queensland, Australia has been investigated. Oedometer tests were performed on remoulded specimens of the soil, and on a specimen obtained from an undisturbed block sample . Primary consolidation took place rapidly, and the total settlement o ver the applied stress range was small. The consolidation behaviour wa s similar to that expected of a silt, despite the appreciable clay con tent and relatively minor silt content of the soil. The analysis of se condary compression showed that this behaviour can de modelled satisfa ctorily using existing theory. The results of direct shear strength te sts performed on remoulded specimens showed that the soil has a high s hear strength despite its appreciable clay content. This is due to the cementation bonds between the particles at the micro-level.