Solutions of pore pressure build up due to progressive waves

The analytical solution of soil pore pressure accumulations due to a progressive wave is examined in detail. First of all, the errors contained in a published analytical solution for wave‐induced pore pressure accumulation are addressed, and the correct solution is presented in a more general form. The behaviour of the solution under different soil conditions is then investigated. It is found that the solution for deep soil conditions is sensitive to the soil shear stress in the top thin layer of the soil. However the solution is significantly influenced by the shear stress in the thin layer of soil near the impermeable base, for shallow and finite depth soil conditions. It is also found that a small error in the soil shear stress can lead to a large error in the accumulated pore pressure. An error analysis reveals the relationships between the accuracy of the pore pressure accumulation and the accuracy of the soil shear stress. A numerical solution to the simplified Biot consolidation equation is also developed. It is shown that the error analysis is of significant value for the numerical modelling of pore pressure buildup in marine soils. Both analytical and numerical examples are given to validate the error estimation method proposed in the present paper. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.