Identification of preferable method for the precise estimation of coefficient of consolidation (Cv) for coal ash

The exact determination of settlement and the time required to complete that settlement is very important from the safety point of view. There are several methods available to find the rate of consolidation that is highly dependent on the settlement versus time curve. Here, it has been attempted to identify the suitable method for the determination of the rate of consolidation of coal ash. After analyzing the value of the coefficient of consolidation (C-v) estimated from various methods, the rectangular hyperbola method (RH method) is found to be in best linear correlation between the measured C-v and calculated C-v. The coal ash shows an increment in C-v with the increase in effective pressure. The C-v obtained from the RH method is higher than the C-v obtained from Taylor's and Casagrande method that helps in close approximation with field C-v. The precise determination of C-v helps in better prediction of the time required for the consolidation settlement that will increase the performance of the structure.