This thesis is concerned with numerical aspects of the simulation of the process of simultaneous sedimentation and consolidation of suspended soils, with particular reference to oil sands fine tailings.

Two models were developed. The first is a sedimentation model based on a modification of Kynch's theory. It assumes time-dependent concentration in the suspension zone and neglects consolidation effects in the sediment layer. The second model unifies sedimentation and consolidation through the concept of permeability, which is assumed to be continuously valid in both the suspended and solid states of a soil. The main novelty of both models is in their consistent treatment of the suspension zone as a liquid, with zero effective stresses, contrary to the current geotechnical practice of treating a suspension as a consolidating soil.

Applied to large-scale sedimentation tests on oil sands fine tailings, both models show significantly improved agreement with experimental observations.