Radial consolidation considering non-linear compressibility and permeability of structured soils

Practitioners commonly use analytical solutions to predict radial consolidation behavior around vertical drains. Soil under consolidation exhibits non-linear characteristics in compressibility and permeability that varies with a change of effective stress. In particular, the presence of soil structure in natural clay plays an important role in the non-linear characteristics. This study presents a new semi-analytical solution for radial consolidation in structured soil, which can be easily incorporated into conventional spreadsheets. The proposed solution is validated by comparison with finite element prediction and field measurements from a case history of an embankment. A parametric study performed on soil structure indicates that soil structure would slow down the dissipation of excess pore water pressure and increase vertical strain. The design implications of these effects are discussed.