Consolidation of an anisotropic compressible poroelastic clay layer by axisymmetric surface loads

Abstract

An analytical solution of the fully coupled system of equations governing the axisymmetric quasistatic deformation of a poroelastic medium with anisotropic permeability and compressible fluid and solid constituents is obtained by employing the Laplace-Hankel integral transforms. This solution is used to study the consolidation of a poroelastic clay layer with free permeable surface resting on a rough-rigid impermeable base. The problem of axisymmetric normal loading is discussed in detail. Numerical computations are performed for normal disk loading. The effects of the anisotropy in permeability and the compressibility of the fluid and solid constituents on the consolidation process are studied. The compressibility of the pore fluid increases the initial settlement but has no effect on the final settlement. For a thin layer, the surface settlement increases steadily from its undrained value, attains a maximum, and decreases steadily to the drained value. This kind of behavior is not observed for a thick layer or a uniform half-space.