Test apparatus for thermal consolidation of saturated soils and its application

A test apparatus for the thermal consolidation of saturated soils is presented. It can be used to study the thermo-mechanical characteristics under combined thermal loading and mechanical loading. This apparatus accommodates variable thermal loading ranging from 17ºC to 100ºC and high confining pressure with a range of 0～3 MPa. The related experimental procedures are also discussed. For a typical saturated soil, the evolutions of temperature, pore pressure, thermal volumetric deformation induced by the thermal loading are analyzed.