Foundation Behavior of Iron Ore Storage Yards

Field observations of twelve iron ore storage yards above plastic clay deposits demonstrate that, at least on overconsolidated clays, large progressive nonrecoverable movements are initiated by very small increases in load. Loads in excess of the preconsolidation load have produced failure if applied too rapidly, but if applied slowly have increased the capacity of soft clays to as much as 3 tons or 4 tons per sq ft. The capacity can be increased only moderately by tierods between the retaining walls; there is evidence that sheetpile cells beneath the central part of the yards have been beneficial. The theory of a perfectly cohesive material squeezed between two rough rigid plates has been adapted to the problem of evaluating the relative stability of the ore yards.