| Abstract: | A method is derived to estimate the degree of consolidation of a saturated, non-homogeneous clay layer. In this method, the diffusion equation govering the dissipation of pore water pressure is transformed so that the pore water pressure can be expressed by a Fourier series. The Fourier coefficients are then evaluated along the trajectory of the diffusion process. The Fourier series does not converge point-wise to the pore water pressure; instead, it converges to the pore water pressure in the mean., The Fourier series can be used to estimate the degree of consolidation, because, by Schwartz's inequality, convergence in the mean implies convergence in the degree of consolidation. |
