Analytical solution for consolidation of sand-drained ground under non-uniform distribution of initial excess pore water pressure and variation of permeability coefficient in smear zone

The consolidation problem for sand-drained ground under the non-uniform distribution of initial excess pore water pressure and the variation of permeability coefficient in a smear zone is considered. The control consolidation equations are derived based on the hypothesis of equal strain condition. The general analytical solution is developed. Five possible variation patterns of the horizontal permeability coefficient of soil in the smear zone are proposed while four distributions of the initial pore water pressure are also considered. Then the corresponding consolidation solutions for all these cases are obtained on the basis of the general solution. It shows that the existing consolidation theory for sand-drained ground under equal strain condition is a special case of the present solutions. The consolidation behaviors are studied by computation under the interaction of these two factors. It concludes that the rate of consolidation is the greatest when the distribution of the initial pore water pressure is in an inverse triangular pattern and the change mode of the permeability coefficient in the smear zone is model 2; it is the least when the distribution is in a triangular one and the change mode is model 4.