Geotechnical parameters in description of soft soils consolidation

The construction of embankments on organic soils is associated with necessary to improve subsoil conditions. Soft organic soils are often highly compressible and have low shear strengths, what causes large deformation, both vertically as well as horizontally, that may occur during and after the construction period [11]. The settlements usually appear quickly but can also continue for a very long time because of the secondary compression [6]. However, in Poland there are large areas with soft organic soils where diff erent kinds of embankments have to be constructed. In these cases, the prediction of soil behavior and the selection of a proper design method becomes an important and complex engineering task. In this paper the analysis of the soft subsoil deformation process under load is presented. The main factors that determine the consolidation of soft subsoil are described, as well as the proposition of changes in organic soils properties for better prediction of the construction’s settlements. Based on fi eld observations and laboratory test results, the characterization of organic soft soils and the results the calculation procedure are proposed.