Experiences with Soil Types in Naval Construction

The principles of soil mechanics are demonstrated by two examples in this paper. One concerns pile foundations in plastic clay, and the other concerns the stability of an extensive mass of sand deposited as a foundation material for a cellular pier, comprised of two rows of cells of interlocking shee t piling. A rather unusual condition in an homogeneous clay deposit, 90 ft or more deep, of apparently sedimentary origin is described. The density and moisture content of the clay are apparently unrelated as to depth. Consolidation and shear curves are shown. Two expressions are derived, one for the case of capillary saturation and the other for the case of complete submergence, which show that the in-place consolidating press ure of fully consolidated soil (homogeneous as to type and without structural load) is an exponential function of depth.