Analytical solution for consolidation of composite ground considering lateral deformations of column and surrounding soil

Under the assumption of equal vertical deformation, an analytical solution is derived for the consolidation of composite ground by considering simultaneously the lateral and vertical deformations of column and soil, the vertical and radial flows in the surrounding soil and three variation patterns of the horizontal permeability coefficient of soil. The present solution is compared with some previous solutions ignoring the lateral deformations of column and soil. The consolidation behaviors of the composite ground are investigated by the analysis of parameter sensitivity. The results show that considering the lateral deformations will reduce the consolidation rate. The less the Poisson’ ratios of column and soil are, the greater the consolidation rate is. When the lateral deformations of column and soil are considered, the column-soil stress ratio will keep increasing during the earlier stage of consolidation, but unlike that predicted by the traditional theory, it will not increase up to the value of compression modulus ratio of column to soil.