New approach to determining consolidation coefficients using cake-filtration experiments

The coefficient of consolidation used to compare the expression/dewatering properties of various materials is often estimated using the Sivaram and Swamee model [Soc. Soil Mech. Found. Eng. 17 (1977) 48]. However, this model is actually an approximation of Terzaghiʹs consolidation model [K. Terzaghi, Theoretical Soil Mechanics, Wiley, New York 1943], in which the coefficient of consolidation is defined as the ratio between the permeability constant and the coefficient of compressibility. This paper describes how filter-cake permeability and compressibility can be obtained from simple cake-filtration experiments, and then used to calculate the coefficient of consolidation. The method is illustrated by the cake-filtration of titanium dioxide particles (anatase), the results being compared with those obtained using conventional filter-cake consolidation analysis.