Continuous loading oedometer testing of soils

Incremental loading used in the conventional odometer test specified in BS 1377: 1975, provides relatively little data on the compression and consolidation parameters of the soil or on its preconsolidation or yield pressure. Continuous loading odometer tests are capable of measuring continuous variations of compression and consolidation parameters and can often identify the yield pressure more precisely. Data logging and control systems developed for stress path testing systems have been applied to odometer tests and it is now possible to carry out continuous loading tests routinely. Analysis of the test data is relatively straightforward. Tests on reconstituted soil samples demonstrate that the measured parameters do not depend significantly on the type of test.--Modified journal abstract.