Analysis and Mathematical Solutions for Consolidation of a Soil Layer with Depth-Dependent Parameters under Confined Compression
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 12, Issue 4
Abstract
This paper presents several analytical solutions for the consolidation analysis of a soil layer with fairly general laws of variation of permeability and compressibility for both a single-drained condition and a double-drained condition. The solution is described in detail. A normalized time, , is suggested. The average degree of consolidation exhibiting very good normalized behavior is shown. It is also revealed that the excess pore-pressure distribution of a nonhomogeneous soil layer may be quite different from the conventional Terzaghi’s solution. For the double-drained condition, some symmetrical characteristics of the average degree of consolidation and excess pore pressure are proved. Special cases of constant permeability, constant compressibility, or constant coefficient of consolidation, in which the other parameter is depth dependent, are analyzed on the basis of general analytical solutions. Results are presented in figures and tables for practical applications.
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Acknowledgments
Financial support from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Chinese National Science Foundation (Grant No. 10972166) is gratefully acknowledged.
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Published In
International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 12 • Issue 4 • August 2012
Pages: 451 - 461
Copyright
© 2012. American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 15, 2010
Accepted: Jul 8, 2011
Published online: Jul 11, 2011
Published in print: Aug 1, 2012
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