Use of a bench-top centrifuge to assess consolidation parameters

A small bench-top centrifuge may be used to obtain data regarding the consolidation characteristics of soft soils, such as fine tailings, in a fraction of the time required for conventional consolidation testing. The results discussed here are limited to the consolidation parameters determined using the initial settlement rates, settlement curves and post-test analysis of the samples. Testing utilized a Speswhite kaolin clay slurry with water contents ranging from 70% to 116.5% exposed to enhanced acceleration in a bench-top centrifuge operated at a rotational rate of 235 radians/second (2245 rpm), resulting in a nominal acceleration of 753 g’s. The results of this investigation support the adoption of bench-top centrifuge technology for the routine evaluation of the consolidation characteristics of fine tailings.