Section 4: Soil and Water Conservation Engineering
Soil Mechanics
Subtopic: Stability of slopes
Question Statement:
In Terzaghi's one-dimensional consolidation theory, the primary consolidation settlement occurs due to:
Options:
(A) Gradual dissipation of excess pore water pressure and expulsion of water from soil voids
(B) Instantaneous crushing of individual sand quartz grains
(C) Thermal shrinkage of dry clay minerals
(D) Immediate elastic deformation with zero volume change
Answer Key:
A
Step-by-Step Solution & Explanation
Terzaghi modeled consolidation as the hydrodynamic dissipation of excess pore water pressure through low-permeability clay, transferring load from water to the soil skeleton.