An explicit one-dimensional consolidation solution with semi-permeable drainage boundary for unsaturated soil

Existing solutions for analyzing one-dimensional (1-D) consolidation of unsaturated soil are only derived to cater to two extreme drainage conditions (fully drained and undrained). This study presents a new explicit solution for 1-D consolidation of unsaturated soil with semi-permeable drainage boundary. Based on the assumptions of two independent stress variables and the governing equations proposed by Fredlund, the eigenfunction expansion method is adopted to develop an explicit analytical solution to calculate excess pore-water and pore-air pressures in an unsaturated soil when it is subjected to external loads. The developed general solutions are expressed in terms of depth, z, and time, t. For the semi-permeable drainage boundary, eigenvalues and eigenfunctions in the space domain are developed. The technique of Laplace transform is used to solve the coupled ordinary differential equations in the time domain. The newly derived explicit solution is verified with the existing semi-analytical method in the literature, and an excellent agreement is obtained. Compared with the semi-analytical solution, the newly derived analytical solution is more straightforward and explicit so that this solution is relatively easier to be implemented into a computer program to carry out a preliminary assessment of 1-D consolidation of unsaturated soil.     

Analytical solution for one‐dimensional consolidation of unsaturated soils using eigenfunction expansion method

This paper introduces an exact analytical solution for governing flow equations for one‐dimensional consolidation in unsaturated soil stratum using the techniques of eigenfunction expansion and Laplace transformation. The homogeneous boundary conditions adopted in this study are as follows: (i) a one‐way drainage system of homogenous soils, in which the top surface is considered as permeable to air and water, whereas the base is an impervious bedrock; and (ii) a two‐way drainage system where both soil ends allow free dissipation of pore‐air and pore‐water pressures. In addition, the analytical development adopts initial conditions capturing both uniform and linear distributions of the initial excess pore pressures within the soil stratum. Eigenfunctions and eigenvalues are parts of the general solution and can be obtained based on the proposed boundary conditions. Besides, the Laplace transform method is adopted to solve the first‐order differential equations. Once equations with transformed domain are all obtained, the final solutions, which are proposed to be functions of time and depth, can be achieved by taking an inverse Laplace transform. To verify the proposed solution, two worked examples are provided to present the consolidation characteristics of unsaturated soils based on the proposed method. The validation of the recent results against other existing analytical solutions is graphically demonstrated. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Exact solutions for one‐dimensional consolidation of single‐layer unsaturated soil

Based on the Fredlund consolidation theory of unsaturated soil, exact solutions of the governing equations for one‐dimensional consolidation of single‐layer unsaturated soil are presented, in which the water permeability and air transmission are assumed to be constants. The general solution of two coupled homogeneous governing equations is first obtained. This general solution is expressed in terms of two functions psi₁ and ψ₂, where ψ₁ and ψ₂, respectively, satisfy two second‐order partial differential equations, which are in the same form. Using the method of separation of variables, the two partial differential equations are solved and exact solutions for three typical homogeneous boundary conditions are obtained. To obtain exact solutions of nonhomogeneous governing equations with three typical nonhomogeneous boundary conditions, the nonhomogeneous boundary conditions are first transformed into homogeneous boundary conditions. Then according to the method of undetermined coefficients and exact solutions of homogenous governing equations, the series form exact solutions are put forward. The validity of the proposed exact solutions is verified against other analytical solutions in the literature. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Semi-analytical solution to one-dimensional consolidation for viscoelastic unsaturated soils

This paper presents a semi-analytical solution to one-dimensional consolidation of viscoelastic unsaturated soils with a finite thickness under oedometric conditions and subjected to a sudden loading. The solution is obtained by using Lee’s correspondence principle based on the semi-analytical solution to one-dimensional consolidation of elastic unsaturated soils. The boundary contains the top surface permeable to water and air and the bottom impermeable to water and air. A typical example is given to show the evolution of excess pore-air and pore-water pressures as well as the total degree of consolidation of the soil layer with time for different ratios of air–water permeability coefficient, elastic modulus and viscoelastic coefficient. The one-dimensional consolidation behavior of viscoelastic unsaturated soil is discussed according to the semi-analytical solution. These results contribute to a better understanding of the consolidation behavior of viscoelastic unsaturated soils.     

Explicit approximate analytical solutions of seepage‐deformation in unsaturated soils

An approximate analytical solution is presented for the coupled seepage and deformation problem of unsaturated soils. Because of the matric suction dependence of both saturation and permeability coefficient, the coupled governing equations are strongly nonlinear. To obtain an analytical solution, these coupled governing equations are linearized and analytically solved for a specified saturation using the eigenfunction method. Then, the obtained analytical solutions are extended to the entire saturation range. Comparison between the current solution and the previous theoretical solution indicates that the proposed solution yields excellent results. Due to its analytical nature, the proposed procedure can be effectively used to obtain the solution of the coupled seepage and deformation of unsaturated soils.     

An analytical solution of one-dimensional consolidation for soft sensitive soil ground

An analytical solution of one-dimensional consolidation for soft sensitive soil ground is presented. The moving boundary is introduced to indicate the notable change of consolidation behaviour of sensitive soil with the increase of stress level. It is assumed that the soil structure of the upper subsoil gradually destroys downwards with the dissipation of pore pressure, and the coefficient of consolidation as well as the coefficient of permeability of the upper subsoil become small, which hinders the dissipation of pore pressure of the lower subsoil. The consolidation degree curve obtained from the present solution is found to lie between the two curves obtained from Terzaghi one-dimensional consolidation solution with the parameters of the undisturbed soil and the remolded soil. The calculated results provide a new explanation for a general phenomenon in the consolidation of soft sensitive soil ground, as that for high loadings the consolidation is longer than for small ones. It should be pointed out from this study that both the deep mixing method and the long vertical drains methods are effective techniques for improving deep sensitive soil ground. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Consolidation of viscoelastic soil by vertical drains incorporating fractional-derivative model and time-dependent loading

This paper presents a general solution to the consolidation system of viscoelastic soil by vertical drains incorporating a fractional-derivative model and arbitrary time-dependent loading. The fractional-derivative Merchant model is introduced to describe the viscoelastic behavior of saturated soil around the vertical drains. Based on this model, the governing partial differential equation of a consolidation system incorporating vertical and horizontal drainage is obtained for the equal strain condition. Then, a general solution to the consolidation system involving arbitrary time-dependent loading is derived using the Laplace transform technique and eigenfunction expansion method. Further, two comparisons are presented to verify the exactness of the proposed solution, and the consolidation behavior involving four time-dependent loadings is illustrated and discussed.     

Boundary element analysis of axially loaded piles embedded in a multi-layered soil

In a field, piles are likely installed in a multi-layered soil. Analysis of axially loaded piles in a multi-layered soil is complicated and deserves more attention. A boundary element method is used in this study to analyze an axially loaded single pile in a multi-layered soil using the solution for vertical and horizontal axisymmetric ring loads in a multi-layered elastic medium. Good and reasonable agreement is obtained between the proposed and published solutions for a single pile in a homogenous soil, a finite soil, and a Gibson soil. The proposed solution is also used to evaluate an axially loaded single pile in a multi-layered (8 layers) soil.     

非饱和土拟二维平面应变固结问题的解析计算方法

基于Fredlund非饱和土一维固结理论,建立了二维平面应变条件下的固结方程组,并得到了单层非饱和土平面应变条件下的解析解。基于相关理论,假设体变系数和渗透系数都为常量,同时考虑到瞬时加载条件下,沿着土体深度方向上产生均匀或者线性分布的初始超孔隙压力,建立了二阶二元偏微分方程组。求解时,引入函数方法来降低方程的阶数,然后通过分离变量法获得方程的通解。在此基础上,结合一个针对单面排水条件下二维平面应变问题案例,通过与数值解对比,验证了所提方法的正确性。并采用所提方法计算获得了二维平面下超孔隙水压力、气压力沿垂直和水平方向消散的等时线,通过计算对比,分析了不同线性分布情况下,初始超孔隙压力对固结消散过程的影响。研究结果表明：初始超孔隙压力的不同分布对超孔隙气压力消散的影响几乎可以忽略,而对超孔隙水压力消散的影响更大。     

非饱和土路基毛细作用的数值与解析方法研究

通过建立非饱和土毛细作用的孔隙分布的分形模型,推导获得了非饱和土毛细水的最大上升高度,同时基于Richards水分运动微分方程,引入边界及初始条件,基于Laplace变换,得到了毛细作用下非饱和土路基湿度变化的解析解;同时引入算例,将所提出的解析方法计算结果与未简化参数的数值计算结果进行了对比分析;最后考虑不同因素的影响进行了非饱和土路基毛细作用下的湿度变化分析。分析结果表明：解析求解获得的路基湿度变化趋势和未进行参数简化的数值法求解结果基本一致,证明解析解法是合理可信的;路基填筑的初始含水率越大,填土的初始吸力越小,毛细水上升的高度及湿度变化量也相应越小;透水性能较好的路基填土毛细水上升速度较快,但上升高度较小,毛细水可以在较短时间内上升到最大高度;路基的填土类型不同,路基在毛细作用下的湿度变化状态也不同,需要针对不同的填土路基进行相应的防排水措施。     

A simple analytical solution to one‐dimensional consolidation for unsaturated soils

This paper presents a simple analytical solution to Fredlund and Hasan's one‐dimensional (1‐D) consolidation theory for unsaturated soils. The coefficients of permeability and volume change for unsaturated soils are assumed to remain constant throughout the consolidation process. The mathematical expression of the present solution is much simpler compared with the previous available solutions in the literature. Two new variables are introduced to transform the two coupled governing equations of pore‐water and pore‐air pressures into an equivalent set of partial differential equations, which are easily solved with standard mathematical formulas. It is shown that the present analytical solution can be degenerated into that of Terzaghi consolidation for fully saturated condition. The analytical solutions to 1‐D consolidation of an unsaturated soil subjected to instantaneous loading, ramp loading, and exponential loading, for different drainage conditions and initial pore pressure conditions, are summarized in tables for ease of use by practical engineers. In the case studies, the analytical results show good agreement with the available analytical solution in the literature. The consolidation behaviors of unsaturated soils are investigated. The average degree of consolidation at different loading patterns and drainage conditions is presented. The pore‐water pressure isochrones for two different drainage conditions and three initial pore pressure distributions are presented and discussed. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

非饱和土一维大变形固结模型

基于分段线性差分法,建立了一种非饱和土一维大变形固结模型。该模型可考虑土性参数非线性变化,可计算与分析大变形问题,并编制了Fortran计算程序。在现有解答和试验数据的基础上,对该模型进行了验证,瞬时加载情况下模型数值解与现有解答基本吻合,考虑加载过程下的数值解与试验数据吻合。进行了大变形算例分析,对比了加荷压密与消散固结阶段土层变形,探讨了孔隙气、水渗透系数比对土层沉降量、饱和度和不同应变情况下固结度的影响规律,分析了非饱和土大、小变形固结理论计算孔隙水（气）压和沉降量的差异。     

非饱和土一维固结混合流体方法的解析分析

对采用混合可压缩流体方法分析非饱和土一维固结问题的固结方程进行了求解,在得到的解析解的基础上,对影响非饱和土一维固结的因素进行了分析。分析结果表明,在采用混合流体方法计算非饱和土一维固结的孔隙水压力时,所用公式与计算饱和土一维固结的太沙基理论公式基本相同,不同之处在于引入Bishop有效应力系数来体现孔隙气对孔隙水的影响。而在非饱和土孔隙气压的计算公式中除了体现孔隙水对孔隙气的影响参数以外,还有体现孔隙气体的可压缩性对固结影响的参数。在所有影响因素中,影响非饱和土一维固结最重要的因素是孔隙流体的渗流路径。     

非等温分布条件下考虑半透水边界时饱和黏土的一维固结解析解

温度的变化会导致土体的物理力学性质改变,且在一些实际工程中,饱和黏土会处于非等温分布状态。为此,针对非等温分布条件下饱和黏土的一维固结问题,考虑了更具普遍性的半透水边界,通过某些假定推导了单级线性加荷形式下饱和黏土一维固结控制方程,并利用分离变量法求解得到了控制方程的解析解。通过将所提解析解分别与已有解析解和有限差分解展开对比分析,验证了所提解答的正确性。基于所提解析解,利用某一算例分析了温度梯度、半透水边界参数及加荷时间对固结性状的影响。结果表明：温度梯度 M 越大,土体的渗透性越大,土体的固结速率越快;半透水边界参数 R1和 R2越大,相同时间内土体的超孔隙水压力越小,土体的平均固结度越大;土体的平均固结度随加荷时间 tc 的增大而减小,这主要是由于加荷阶段所施加的外荷载小于最终荷载,但加荷时间tc的延长可一定程度减小土体中产生的最大超孔隙水压力。     

Semi-analytical solutions to one-dimensional consolidation for unsaturated soils with symmetric semi-permeable drainage boundary

This paper presents semi-analytical solutions to Fredlund and Hasan’s one-dimensional consolidation for unsaturated soils under symmetric semi-permeable drainage boundary conditions. Two variables are introduced to transform two coupled governing equations of pore-air and pore-water pressures into an equivalent set of partial differential equations, which are easily solved by the Laplace transform. Then, the pore-air and pore-water pressures, and soil settlement are obtained in the Laplace domain. Crump’s method is adopted to perform the inverse Laplace transform in order to obtain semi-analytical solutions in time domain. It is shown that the present solution is more applicable to various types of drainage boundary conditions, and in a good agreement with existing solutions from the literature. Furthermore, several numerical examples are provided to investigate the consolidation behavior of an unsaturated single-layer soil with traditional drainage boundary (single or double), and single-sided and double-sided semi-permeable drainage boundaries. Finally, it illustrates the changes in pore-air and pore-water pressures and soil settlement with time at different values of symmetric semi-permeable drainage boundary conditions parameters. In addition, parametric studies are conducted by the variations of pore-air and pore-water pressures at different ratios of air-water permeability coefficient and the depth.     

Exact solutions for the one-dimensional transient response of unsaturated single-layer porous media

The one-dimensional transient response of unsaturated single-layer porous media is studied based on the theory of unsaturated porous media proposed by Zienkiewicz et al., and exact time-domain solutions are obtained for three types of nonhomogeneous boundary conditions. During the solution procedure, the nonhomogeneous boundary conditions are transformed into homogeneous boundary conditions. Then, the eigenfunction expansion method is utilised to obtain the exact solutions for these new boundary conditions. Several numerical examples are provided to investigate the propagation of compressional waves, and it is verified that three types of compressional waves exist in unsaturated porous media that contain two immiscible fluids.     

Dynamic responses of unsaturated half‐space soil to a moving harmonic rectangular load

The problem of the dynamic responses of a semi‐infinite unsaturated poroelastic medium subjected to a moving rectangular load is investigated analytical/numerically. The dynamic governing equations are obtained with consideration of the compressibility of solid grain and pore fluid, inertial coupling, and viscous drag as well as capillary pressure in the unsaturated soil, and they can be easily degraded to the complete Biot's theory. Using the Fourier transform, the general solution for the equations is derived in the transformed domain, and then a corresponding boundary value problem is formulated. By introducing fast Fourier transform algorithm, the unsaturated soil vertical displacements, effective stresses, and pore pressures induced by moving load are computed, and some of the calculated results are compared with those for the degenerated solution of saturated soils and confirmed. The influences of the saturation, the load speed, and excitation frequency on the response of the unsaturated half‐space soil are investigated. The numerical results reveal that the effects of these parameters on the dynamic response of the unsaturated soil are significant.     

半透水边界下分数阶黏弹性饱和土一维固结特性分析

为描述饱和土体的流变特性,引入分数阶导数Kelvin-Voigt黏弹性模型,采用解析方法对半透水边界下的分数阶黏弹性饱和土一维固结特性进行了研究。分别对骤加恒载下饱和土一维固结微分方程和分数阶Kelvin-Voigt黏弹性本构方程进行Laplace变换,并联立求解得到了双边半透水边界条件下分数阶黏弹性饱和土在Laplace变换域内的解析表达式。通过Crump方法实现Laplace数值反演,得到时间域内的半解析解。将所得到的解分别退化为分数阶黏弹性饱和土一维固结半解析解和双边半透水黏弹性饱和土一维固结半解析解,结果与已有文献半解析解相同,验证了提出的双边半透水边界条件下分数阶黏弹性饱和土一维固结解的可靠性。通过算例考察了半透水边界条件和分数阶黏弹性饱和土参数对一维固结特性的影响。研究表明,双边半透水边界下分数阶黏弹性饱和土一维固结发展过程与半透水边界条件、分数阶次和黏滞系数有关,且土体的压缩模量对饱和土一维固结最终沉降量有显著影响。     

Semi-analytical solutions of two-dimensional plane strain consolidation in unsaturated soils subjected to the lateral semipermeable drainage boundary

The study presents semi-analytical solutions of two-dimensional plane strain consolidation problem in unsaturated soils incorporating the lateral semipermeable drainage boundary by adopting Fourier sine series and Laplace transform. The two-dimensional plane strain consolidation equations in the form of two-order partial differential equations with three variables are firstly converted to two-order partial differential equations with two variables, which are similar to those of one-dimensional consolidation problem. The four-order ordinary differential equations about excess pore-air and excess pore-water pressures are got by applying Laplace transform and the substitution method. Then, the solutions of excess pore pressures and settlement are achieved in the Laplace transform domain. Afterwards, on the basis of Crump's method, the inverse Laplace transform is conducted to obtain the analytical solutions in time domain. The comparison is conducted to verify the exactness of the obtained solutions, and the two-dimensional plane strain consolidation property with the lateral semipermeable drainage boundary is illustrated and discussed. Parametric studies are demonstrated for the excess pore pressures and normalized settlement with the change of the boundary parameters, air-water and lateral-vertical permeability coefficients, and the distance and depth. It can be found that the lateral semipermeable drainage boundary impedes the consolidation rate obviously, and when different investigated parameters are adopted, the consolidation property is similar to each other under the later permeable and semipermeable drainage boundary conditions.     

基于同伦分析法的非饱和土层固结问题的级数解

由于非饱和土的渗透系数是基质吸力的函数,使得控制方程带有强非线性的特征,进而使得控制方程的解析求解变得十分困难。同伦分析法对级数基函数和辅助线性算子的选择具有更大的自由性、灵活性,且收敛性的控制和调节更加容易实现,求解强非线性微分方程时在选择线性算子以及辅助参数上具有明显的优势。因此,针对非饱和土固结方程的非线性特征,对于处于地表浅层的非饱和土层,假设孔隙气压力为大气压力,在Richard经验公式与非饱和土一维固结理论的基础上,推导了非饱和一维固结无量纲控制方程;应用同伦分析法,通过选取适当的初始猜测解与辅助参数,将该非线性方程转换为线性的微分方程组并求解得到固结问题的级数解。此外,以压实高岭土为研究对象,在收集相关试验参数基础之上,将由同伦分析法求得的固结问题的近似解析解与有限差分法数值结果相对比,分析结果验证了解析解的正确性。