Terzaghi’s model and the subsurface model

The theory of the compaction or consolidation of a water-saturated clay has been developed
by soil-mechanics researchers. This concept can be explained easily by Terzaghi’s model.
Fig. 3-1 shows such a schematic model, in which perforated metal plates are separated by
metal springs in water in a cylindrical tube. The plates simulate the clay particles in the
subsurface and the springs simulate the contact situation between the clay particles. The
internal water pressure can be measured by a manometer attached to the cylinder.
When the load S is applied to the uppermost plate, the height of the springs will stay
unchanged unless water escapes from the cylinder. At this stage, the applied load S is
supported entirely by the water pressure p, or

As some water escapes from the system, the plates move downward and the springs carry
part of the load S (stage B). Stress carried by the springs is usually termed as u. As more
water escapes from the cylinder, the springs become more compressed and carry a greater
part of the total load. If enough water moves out of the system, compaction equilibrium will
be reached (stage C). The water pressure at the equilibrium stage is hydrostatic. During this
experiment, it is known that the following relationship exists:

The value X shown in Fig. 3-1 is defined as the ratio of p over S.

This model is analogous to a subsurface clay undergoing essentially uniaxial compaction due
to overburden pressure S (total load) at depth 2. The overburden pressure is given as:

where
Pbw = mean water-saturated bulk density of the overlying sedimentary rocks above depth 2,
and
g = acceleration of gravity.
The stress of the springs, u, in Terzaghi’s model is analogous to the grain-to-grain bearing
strength of the clay particles, and p is the fluid pressure under the subsurface conditions
(Hubbert and Rubey, 1959).
Hubbert and Rubey stated that, “The effective stress u exerted by the porous clay (or by the
springs in the model) depends solely upon the degree of compaction of the clay, with (T
increasing continuously as compaction increases. A useful measure of the degree of
compaction of a clay is its porosity 4, defined as the ratio of the pore volume to the total
volume.
Hence, we may infer that for a given clay there exists for each value of porosity 4 some
maximum value of effective compressive stress which the clay can support without further