| Abstract: | Evidence for threshold gradients is reviewed. The consolidation problem, with threshold gradient, is properly formulated and solved numerically. An approximate analytical solution is also developed. The influence of a threshold gradient on the time rate of settlement is examined, and it is shown that by modifying the definition of the degree of consolidation a good approximation to the threshold gradient problem can be obtained directly from the Terzaghi solution. It is also shown that threshold gradients will have no influence on odometer testing and their effect is, therefore, to reduce the primary compression below that predicted from standard tests. |
