The specific objectives of this research are two-fold: 1. to develop a working observational procedure for practical field settlement determination, and design of structures founded on highly compressible soils, and 2. to test a newly developed thermal precompression concept in the field as a practical means of rapid in situ improvement of fine-grained soils. A model based on the theory of rate processes will be applied to the early settlement records of two test embankments on soft ground. A work observational procedure will be developed to predict future creep settlement under given stress and temperature changes in the field.
