Universal solution for the characteristic time and the degree of settlement in nonlinear soil consolidation scenarios. A deduction based on nondimensionalization

Powerful Software to Simulate Soil Consolidation Problems with Prefabricated Vertical Drains

“…At present there are numerous publications and research that incorporate the non-linearity of these coefficients in the mathematical models, although it is also true that, for the usual practical values of the surface applied load (q), the changes in properties that give rise the consolidation coefficients (cv,z and cv,h) are small (and the variations in these properties may even compensate for each other), so that the final result is practically constant consolidation coefficients. In effect, the non-linearity of these coefficients grows the higher the σ′f/σ′o quotient, a ratio that, though it theoretically can reach any value, in practice very rarely exceeds the value of 2 (or, at most, 2.5); a value below which the difference between the solutions provided by the linear and non-linear models is practically insignificant [15]. In this way, the smearing effects produced by the introduction of the vertical drain are reflected in the mathematical model in a very simple way, since, in practice, the soil property that is affected by the smear, for the purposes of the consolidation coefficient, is the hydraulic conductivity [16][17][18].…”

Method to Determine the Constitutive Permeability Parameters of Non-Linear Consolidation Models by Means of the Oedometer Test

“…Recently, the dimensionless groups that characterize the aforementioned models, as well as their extensions to more general and precise formulations obtained from the elimination of several restrictive hypotheses [11], have been derived from their governing equations and the application of the pi theorem [12], which has allowed the construction of universal curves of easy use for the determination of the characteristic consolidation time, the average degree of pressure dissipation and the average degree of settlement [13][14][15][16]. The results obtained by these authors reduce the numerous coefficients (dimensional or not) involved in the models to a small number of dimensionless groups based on which the solution for each unknown is presented by a single universal curve.…”

“…The results obtained by these authors reduce the numerous coefficients (dimensional or not) involved in the models to a small number of dimensionless groups based on which the solution for each unknown is presented by a single universal curve. For the purpose of this article, the consolidation model used is that of Alhama et al [15], an extension of Cornetti and Battaglio [7] in which the restrictive hypotheses of constant volume in the contraction term of the governing equation and constant thickness of the volume element along the consolidation process have been deleted.…”

“…In the present paper, based on the results of a simple oedometer test and making use of the universal solutions of the Alhama et al model [15], the constitutive soil parameters that characterize this are determined. These are: C c (compression index), c k (permeability index) and k o (initial hydraulic conductivity).…”

Dimensionless characterization of the non-linear soil consolidation problem of Davis and Raymond. Extended models and universal curves

“…However, under the hypotheses of non-linear dependencies of hydraulic conductivity and void ratio with the effective stress, as well as under the consideration of variable volume elements in thickness, numerical solutions are used. Among the most common non-linear models used in literature are those of Davis and Raymond [1,2], Juárez-Badillo [3][4][5] and Cornetti and Battaglio [6,7]. The interest of the non-linear models against the linear ones is consequence of the important deviations that emerge from their solutions, above 100% [2] both in relation to the time characteristic of the process and the evolution of the average degree of consolidation.…”