Consolidation of Anelastic Porous Media

The transient response of saturated anelastic porous media is analyzed. The porous skeleton is modeled as a piecewise linear time-independent solid, and the fluid is assumed to behave macroscopically, like a perfect fluid. The coupled field equations are presented and solved numerically by the use of the finite element method. The numerical stability of the proposed time integration scheme is investigated. The use of the proposed formulation for solving boundary value problems is illustrated by applying it to analyze the one- and two-dimensional consolidation of a linear elastic porous medium. Good agreement between numerical and analytical results is obtained. Further, the formulation allows solutions to be obtained for cases in which large strains/deformations occur in the porous medium. Finally, the use of the proposed formulation is illustrated by applying it to analyze the time-dependent response of a rigid footing.