1107

One-dimensional consolidation under general

time-dependent loading
Enrico Conte and Antonello Troncone

Abstract: This paper presents an analytical solution for the analysis of one-dimensional consolidation of saturated soil
layers subjected to general time-dependent loading. A simple calculation procedure that makes use of the Fourier series
is proposed for practical applications. Both single loads and cyclic loads can be considered by choosing a suitable period for the Fourier series. A number of comparisons with existing theoretical solutions are shown to assess the accuracy of the proposed procedure. Moreover, the experimental results from oedometer tests performed in the present
study and from a well-documented case history concerning a large embankment constructed on compressible soils are
analysed using this solution to evaluate the coefficient of consolidation of the soil.
Key words: one-dimensional consolidation, time-dependent loading, excess pore-water pressure, theoretical solution,
Fourier series.
Rsum : Cet article prsente une solution analytique pour analyser la consolidation unidimensionnelle des sols saturs
soumise un chargement variable avec le temps de quelque manire. Une simple procdure de calcul, qui utilise les
sries de Fourier, est dveloppe pour les applications pratiques. Aussi bien les charges isoles que les charges cycliques peuvent tre considres, en utilisant une priode convenable de la srie de Fourier. On prsente un certain
nombre de comparaisons avec dautres solutions thoriques existant dans la littrature pour tablir la prcision de la
procdure propose. En outre, cette procdure est utilise pour analyser les rsultats exprimentaux dessais oedomtriques effectus dans cette tude et dun cas rel bien document concernant un large remblai construit sur sols compressibles, et pour valuer le coefficient de consolidation du sol.
Mots cls : consolidation unidimensionnelle, chargement variable avec le temps, surpression interstitielle, solution thorique, srie de Fourier.
Conte and Troncone

1116

Introduction
Soil consolidation is often caused by loading as, for example, in the case of the construction of buildings or embankments on clayey soils. In the current state of practice,
the analysis of this transient process is usually conducted using Terzaghis theory (Terzaghi 1925), in which it is assumed that the soil is saturated, water flow and soil
deformation only occur in the vertical direction, the load is
instantaneously applied and then held constant with time. In
reality, however, the loads in the construction of civil engineering works are generally applied gradually with time, and
in many cases the loading process develops over a long period of time, so a significant part of the consolidation occurs
during this time. Moreover, special structures such as silos
or fluid tanks subject the soils to loading and unloading
stages that repeat themselves more or less periodically over
time. All these loads cause changes in the total stresses as
the soil consolidation develops. Consequently, Terzaghis
Received 22 December 2005. Accepted 23 May 2006.
Published on the NRC Research Press Web site at
http://cgj.nrc.ca on 21 November 2006.
E. Conte1 and A. Troncone. Dipartimento di Difesa del
Suolo, Universit della Calabria, Ponte P. Bucci, Cubo 41b,
87036 Rende (Cosenza), Italy.
1

Corresponding author (e-mail: conte@dds.unical.it).

Can. Geotech. J. 43: 11071116 (2006)

classical theory should be, in principle, unsuitable to analyse

these situations, even when the assumption of onedimensional conditions is sound.
Schiffman and Stein (1970) developed a general solution
for the one-dimensional consolidation problem in which a
variety of loading history, boundary, initial conditions, and
multilayered soil profiles can be considered. This solution is
quite tedious to use, however, especially for practical applications. In this connection, some improvements were proposed by Lee et al. (1992) and more recently by Zhu and
Yin (1999). These latter authors, in particular, dealt with the
case of a double-layered soil profile with the vertical total
stress increasing linearly with an increase in depth.
Some practical methods are available, such as the graphical construction suggested by Terzaghi (1943) to predict the
progress of consolidation settlement caused by a gradually
applied external load, the analytical expressions derived by
Olson (1977) for one-dimensional consolidation of homogeneous soil layers subject to ramp loading, or the expressions
proposed by Viggiani (1999) for loads that increase linearly
with time.
The cyclic loading case was considered by many authors
(Wilson and Elgohary 1974; Baligh and Levadoux 1978;
Favaretti and Mazzucato 1994; and others). In particular,
Rahal and Vuez (1998) derived expressions to calculate the
excess pore-water pressure and settlement produced by a
load whose rate is described by a sinusoidal function of

doi:10.1139/T06-064

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Can. Geotech. J. Vol. 43, 2006

time. Although these solutions deal with linear consolidation, they were incorporated into practical methods to analyse the nonlinear response of clay layers to cyclic loads
(Baligh and Levadoux 1978; Galati 2001).
This study presents an analytical solution for onedimensional consolidation problems in soils subjected to
loading described by an arbitrary function of time. Both single loads and cyclic loads can be considered. The accuracy
of the proposed solution is assessed by comparing the results
with those provided by other theoretical methods. Moreover,
the solution is used in conjunction with laboratory and field
observation of pore pressure or settlement to achieve a simple evaluation of the coefficient of consolidation of the soil,
which is a difficult parameter to determine in practice, especially for in situ conditions (Leroueil 2001).

Solution method
The equation governing one-dimensional consolidation in
saturated soils is provided by the mass conservation equation
for porous media. According to the linearized theory and under the assumptions of incompressible solid particles and no
change of temperature occurring, this equation can be written as follows (Lancellotta 2004):
[1]

u z v z

+
=0
t
t
z

where z is the spatial coordinate, t is time, u is the excess

pore-water pressure depending on both z and t, z is the vertical strain of the soil, vz is the rate of water flow across a
unit area of soil in the z direction, n is the soil porosity, and
is the pore-water compressibility. Under the additional assumptions that soil behaves as an isotropic, linearly elastic
material governed by the effective stresses, water flow is described by Darcys law with constant coefficient of permeability, and creep and inertial effects are ignored, it can be
shown that eq. [1] leads to
[2]

cv

2u 1 u d
=

z 2 t dt

where

pore-water pressure gradients (Barden 1965). As a

consequence, the consolidation is described by the same
governing equations as those for saturated soils, provided
that the fluid compressibility is accounted for (Verruijt
1969; Ghaboussi and Wilson 1973; Chang and Duncan
1983; Conte 1998; and others). Under one-dimensional conditions, these equations reduce to eq. [2]. On the contrary, if
pore-fluid compressibility is ignored, = 1.0.
For the purposes of the present study, it is convenient to
consider a uniformly distributed load that varies harmonically with time. It is assumed that this load is applied to the
top surface of a soil layer of thickness H (Fig. 1) and is described by the following equation:
[5]

(t) = A cos (t) + B sin (t)

where A and B determine the load amplitude, and is the

circular frequency. As a result, the last term on the righthand side of eq. [2], expressing the loading rate, is
[6]

d
= A sin(t) + B cos(t)
dt

To achieve the solution to this problem, the following

boundary conditions are considered (Fig. 1): the base of the
layer is impervious, i.e.,
[7]

u (0, t)
=0
z

whereas the upper surface is fully permeable, i.e.,

[8]

u (H, t) = 0

It should be noted that for the situations in which the lower

surface of the soil layer is also permeable like the upper surface (double-drainage condition), the boundary condition
given by eq. [7] has to be imposed at the middle of the layer,
as in Terzaghis theory. In other words, the results for the
single drainage condition can be adopted to determine the
solution for the double drainage condition by interpreting H
as the drainage height.
Lastly, the initial condition is
u (z,0) = 0

[3]

cv = k w / w m v

[9]

[4]

= m v /(m v + n)

As suggested by Carslaw and Jaeger (1959), the solution

to eq. [2] with the loading, boundary, and initial conditions
given previously can be obtained using Duhamels theorem,
which for the case under consideration is expressed by the
following equation:

is a parameter accounting for compressibility of the soil

and pore fluid, is the total vertical stress that is a function
of time, kw is the coefficient of permeability of the soil, mv is
the coefficient of volume change of the soil, w is the unit
weight of water, and cv is the coefficient of consolidation.
Overall, the assumptions on which eq. [2] is based are the
same as those of Terzaghis basic theory (Terzaghi 1925),
except for the assumptions of water incompressibility, instantaneous loading application, and no change in total vertical stress with time. Moreover, it should be observed that,
because of the presence of , eq. [2] could also be used to
analyse one-dimensional consolidation in unsaturated soils
with a degree of saturation close to 100%. In these circumstances, in fact, the air contained in the pores is occluded
and cannot flow as a continuous fluid, so air and water behave as a homogeneous compressible fluid flowing under the

[10]

u (z, t) =

t d ()

u (z, t )
d
d
t

where d / d is provided by eq. [6] and u denotes the solution to eqs. [2] and [7][9] when the loading rate is kept at
unity. As shown in Appendix A, this latter solution is
[11]

u (z, t) =

2
cvH

(1) j
cos ( j z) exp( 2j cv t)
3
j =1 j

1
( H 2 z 2)
2cv

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1109

Fig. 1. Soil layer subject to harmonic loading.

[17]

Ak =

2
T

[18]

Bk =

2
T

(t) cos (k t) dt

(t) sin(k t) dt

where T is the period of (t); and Ao can be obtained from

eq. [17] setting = 0, i.e.,
A o=

in which j = (2j 1) /(2H). Therefore, substituting for t

in eq. [6] and t for t in eq. [11] and performing the partial derivative of u (z, t ) with respect to t, eq. [10] leads to
the following expression that allows us to calculate the excess pore pressure at any time and depth, u(z, t), induced by
the harmonic load described by eq. [5]:

[12]

(1) j
z
Y cos
2 5 j

H
j =1

u(z, t) = 2

where
[13a] = (2j 1) /2
[13b] Yj = {(A + B 2)[cos (t) exp(2Tv)]
(A 2 B) sin (t)}
[13c] = cv/(H2)
[13d] Tv = cvt/H2
Moreover, under the assumption that the coefficient of volume change mv is constant, the settlement at any time s(t) is
provided by the following equation:
[14]

s(t) = m v [ (t) u(z, t)] dz

0

which, after substituting eqs. [5] and [12], yields

[15]

s(t) = m vH A cos (t) + B sin (t)

Yj

Based on the use of the derived equations in conjunction

with a Fourier series, an analytical solution to eq. [2] when a
general time-dependent loading (t) is applied to the top
surface of the soil layer is presented in this section. It is
known, in fact, that if (t) is a periodic function satisfying
Dirichlets conditions in the interval (0, T), it can be expanded in harmonic components using the Fourier series
[16]

(t) =

(t) dt

It should be noted that the expansion of (t) in Fourier components may in practice be achieved by summing a finite
number of terms in eq. [16]. The series appearing in this
equation, in fact, converges quite rapidly, especially when
(t) is a continuous function over the period T. Generally, a
few tens of terms are enough to provide satisfactory results
for practical purposes. On the contrary, however, the convergence is slower when (t) is sectionally continuous and
presents sudden jumps. In these latter cases, a larger number
of harmonic components of the Fourier series is therefore required. In addition, it should be observed that when (t) is
represented at intervals by constant or linear functions,
which often is the case, closed-form expressions can be
readily obtained by solving the integrals in eqs. [17] and
[18]. This makes the use of these equations very attractive
from a practical point of view. Some examples are presented
in the next sections.
Taking into account the linearity of the problem and taking advantage of the previous expressions, a simple solution
procedure can be developed. Specifically, this procedure first
requires that the prescribed loading function (t) is expanded in a number M of harmonic components using
eqs. [16][18]. Then, for each of these components, the corresponding pore pressure is calculated using eq. [12], in
which u (z, t) is replaced by uk (z, t); A and B are replaced
by Ak and Bk, respectively; and is replaced by k . In this
connection, it should be noted that the term Ao corresponding to = 0 yields u (z, t) = 0. Lastly, once the functions
uk(z, t) have been determined for all the values of k considered, the actual excess pore-water pressure at a given depth
and time is obtained by superimposing all the calculated
terms, i.e.,
M

2 2
2 6
j =1 +

Ao

2
T

+ [ Ak cos (k t) + Bk sin(k t)]

k =1

in which the series amplitudes Ak and Bk associated with the

frequency k = 2k /T (with k = 1, 2, ) are provided, respectively, by the following equations:

[19]

u (z, t) = uk (z, t)
k =1

Likewise, the settlement as a function of time, s(t), can be

evaluated using the following expression:
M

[20]

s(t) = m vHo + sk (t)

k =1

where
[21]

o =

1
T

(t) dt

and sk(t) is provided by eq. [15], in which s(t) is replaced

by sk(t); A and B are replaced by Ak and Bk, respectively; and
is replaced by k .
The described solution procedure allows us to analyse the
soil consolidation induced by general time-dependent loads
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Fig. 2. Examples of time-dependent loads that can be considered
using the proposed solution: (a) cyclic load; (b) single load;
(c) load applied gradually over time. T, period of the load.

such as those shown schematically in Fig. 2, where both cyclic loads (Fig. 2a) and single loads (Figs. 2b, 2c) are indicated. It should be noted, however, that owing to the fact
that the procedure deals with periodic functions, when a single load (Fig. 2b) or a load applied gradually in time
(Fig. 2c) is considered, the period T must be long enough to
nullify the effect of the other loads acting whenever the
function (t) periodically repeats itself. Another limitation
of the present solution could derive from the assumption that
the involved soil parameters are held constant during the
consolidation process, as in Terzaghis theory. Nevertheless
and as previously pointed out, this assumption is often accepted for practical purposes, especially to evaluate the
pore-water pressure variations with time and depth (Baligh
and Levadoux 1978; Laflamme and Leroueil 2003). These
variations may be then incorporated into practical methods
to predict settlement accounting for the nonlinear behaviour
of the soil (Baligh and Levadoux 1978; Galati 2001).

Comparison with theoretical solutions

To assess the accuracy of the proposed procedure, comparisons were first carried out with existing theoretical solutions. Some of these comparisons are presented in Figs. 35
in terms of isochrones. In all the examples considered, the

Can. Geotech. J. Vol. 43, 2006

Fig. 3. Comparison of the present solution with that of Terzaghi
(1925): (a) loading scheme used in the present solution;
(b) isochrones for different values of the time factor, Tv.

soil is saturated and water compressibility is ignored (i.e.,

= 1.0).
The first case examined refers to the classical theory developed by Terzaghi (1925) for one-dimensional consolidation. To use the procedure presented in the previous section,
the periodic load plotted in Fig. 3a is considered, where q is
the load intensity, T is the period, ta is a time used to account
for the initial condition, and tb is a time chosen appropriately
so that the consolidation process is expected to develop in
practice before this time. Specifically, it was assumed for
this example that tb = 2.5H2/cv, ta = 0.05tb, and T = 1.05tb.
Expressing the load under consideration of an even function,
eqs. [17], [18], and [21] yield
[22a]

Ak =

q
[sin(k t b) sin(k t a )]
k

[22b] Bk = 0
[22c] o = q

t b ta
T

The comparison between the results obtained using

Terzaghis theory and the present solution is shown in
Fig. 3b for different values of the time factor Tv.
A second comparative study concerns a soil layer subjected to a cyclic square load of intensity q and period T
(Fig. 4a). For this load, the amplitudes of the Fourier series
2006 NRC Canada

Conte and Troncone

Fig. 4. Comparison of the present solution with that of Baligh
and Levadoux (1978): (a) loading scheme used in the present solution; (b) isochrones for different values of the number of loading cycles, N.

are again provided by eqs. [22a][22c], in which ta = T/4

and tb = 3T/4. This case was considered by Baligh and
Levadoux (1978), who proposed an analytical solution to
calculate the excess pore pressure at any depth and at the
end of a given number, N, of half-cycles of loading. The results calculated using this latter solution and those obtained
in this study are compared in Fig. 4b for several values of N.
In the calculations, it was assumed that T = 0.1H2/cv.
The last example considered in this section is that of a
load that first increases linearly from zero up to q and then
remains constant with time. In the present analysis, the periodic function plotted in Fig. 5a is used to represent this load.
As a result, the following expressions can be obtained using
eqs. [17], [18], and [21]:
[23a]

Ak =

qT
[cos (k t c ) + k t c sin(k t b) 1]
22k 2t c

[23b] Bk =

qT
[sin(k t c ) k t c cos (k t b)]
22k 2t c

[23c] o =

q
t
t b c
T
2

1111
Fig. 5. Comparison of the present solution with that of Olson
(1977): (a) loading scheme used in the present solution;
(b) isochrones for different values of the time factor, Tv.

where the time tc defines the end of the loading stage, and tb
is a time chosen so that the consolidation is expected to be
practically completed in the time interval (0, tb) (Fig. 5a). In
this study, the values assumed for these parameters are tb =
2.6H2/cv, tc = 0.13tb, and T = 1.1tb. For the case under consideration, the excess pore pressure at any time and depth
may be evaluated using the analytical expressions provided
by Olson (1977). Some results achieved using Olsons solution are compared with those calculated using the proposed
procedure in Fig. 5b.
As shown in Figs. 35, the agreement between the present
solution and existing theoretical solutions is excellent for all
the cases examined.

Analysis of experimental results

In this section, the proposed solution is used to evaluate
the coefficient of consolidation of the soil from laboratory
and field observations for situations where the customary
procedures based on Terzaghis classical theory (Taylor
1948) are in principle unsuitable because of the application
of time-dependent loads.
The results from some oedometer tests performed in the
present study are first considered. The apparatus used for the
tests is not conventional and operates on specimens of
100 mm diameter and 29 mm height. A hydraulic system
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Fig. 6. Particle-size distribution of the tested soils.

Can. Geotech. J. Vol. 43, 2006

Table 1. Index and after-compaction properties of the tested
soils.
Property

Soil A

Soil B

Liquid limit (%)

Plasticity limit (%)
Plasticity index (%)
Specific gravity
Optimum water content (%)
Dry unit weight (kN/m3)

37
16
21
2.69
14
16.9

22
15
7
2.66
11
18.3

Fig. 7. Theoretical and measured results from the oedometer

tests on soil A: (a) loading process; (b) settlement versus time.

provides the load whose magnitude is controlled by a pressure regulator. This allows loading and unloading with general time history to be readily applied to the soil specimen.
The tests were carried out on two prepared soil mixtures of
different particle-size distribution, herein denoted soil A and
soil B. Soil A is a sandy silt with clay, and soil B is a clayey
silty sand. The grading curves are shown in Fig. 6. Samples
of these soils were compacted at the optimum water content
according to the standard Proctor procedure. Table 1 summarizes the main index properties of the tested soils and
those after compaction. The organic content was about 1%
for both the soils. After compaction, the specimens were
carefully trimmed and placed in the ring of the oedometer
cell, where soil saturation was achieved by applying a backpressure in a way similar to that usually adopted in the
triaxial tests. Consolidation tests under time-dependent loading were then carried out. During these tests, water flow was
prevented at the base of the specimen and drainage was allowed at the top.
Some experimental results are presented in Figs. 7 and 8
in terms of loading process and settlement progress versus
time. The average values of the coefficient of volume change
mv deduced from the compression readings are 7.4 105
and 8.0 105 kPa1 for soils A and B, respectively. The coefficient of consolidation was evaluated by matching the
measured results with those predicted using the proposed solution on a trial and error basis. These latter results are also
shown in Figs. 7 and 8 for thoroughness. In the theoretical
analyses, water was assumed to be incompressible. A fairly
close agreement can be observed between simulation and
observation, although constant values of mv and cv were
adopted in the calculations. The back-calculated values of cv
are 1.7 108 and 1.8 106 m2/s for soils A and B, respectively.
Lastly, a well-documented case history presented originally
by Bilotta and Viggiani (1975) is analysed. It concerns a large
embankment constructed on a soil deposit in which a considerable number of Casagrande piezometers and vibrating-wire
piezometers were installed at various depths for monitoring
the pore-water pressure changes occurring during and after
the construction. Measurements were performed for over
3 years. The layout of the embankment is shown in Fig. 9,
where the verticals equipped with piezometers are also indi-

cated. The loading time history is shown schematically in

Fig. 10. The embankment was 7 m high and 200 m wide.
Moreover, as can be seen in Fig. 10, its construction began in
March 1971 and finished in May of the same year. In October
1973, a partial unloading was produced by removing a 1 m
thick soil layer.
The subsoil essentially consists of an 8 m thick layer of
silty sand that overlies a thick layer of silty clay extending to
a depth of about 30 m below the ground surface (Fig. 11).
Below this depth, a sand formation with interbedded silty or
clayey levels is present. Fossil fragments and organic material were found almost everywhere throughout the soil de 2006 NRC Canada

Conte and Troncone

Fig. 8. Theoretical and measured results from the oedometer
tests on soil B: (a) loading process; (b) settlement versus time.

posit. In addition, drilling revealed the presence of gaseous

inclusions in the lower part of the silty clay layer, at depths
greater than 22 m from the ground surface. The silty clay is
normally consolidated and is characterized by the presence
of very thin layers of silty sand. It can be classified as an inorganic clay of medium or high plasticity according to
Atterberg limits and Casagrandes classification. The profile
deduced from vane tests and triaxial tests shows that the undrained cohesion increases linearly with an increase in depth
from about 20 to 80 kN/m2. Conventional oedometer tests
were also conducted. They provided values of the consolidation coefficient cv ranging from 0.5 107 to 1.8 107 m2/s
and an average value of mv = 4.2 104 kPa1 (Bilotta and
Viggiani 1975).
Pore-water pressures measured in the silty clay layer at
three depths (i.e., 11.0, 17.5, and 24.5 m below the ground
surface) along the vertical axis through the centre of the embankment (Fig. 9) are plotted in Fig. 12 as a function of time.
Pore pressure is expressed in Fig. 12 in terms of elevation of
the water level, hw, above the average sea level. Because of
the large lateral extent of the embankment compared with the
thickness of the silty clay layer (Fig. 9), it is reasonable to as-

1113
Fig. 9. Layout of the embankment, indicating the location of the
verticals equipped with piezometers: (a) plan (, verticals with
piezometers); (b) cross section AA (, Casagrande piezometer;
, vibrating-wire piezometer) (adapted from Bilotta and Viggiani
1975).

Fig. 10. Loading time history during and after construction of

the embankment (adapted from Bilotta and Viggiani 1975).

sume that, directly under the centre of the embankment, the

soil strains and water flow occurred essentially under onedimensional conditions. Therefore, the three-dimensional effects should not have significantly affected the pore pressure
measurements shown in Fig. 12. In the light of this, simulation was performed using the proposed solution along with
the function indicated in Fig. 12a to represent the loading
process. It was assumed to be = 1.0. The best agreement
between calculated and observed pore pressures was obtained using a value of cv = 3.8 107 m2/s, which is over
three times higher than the average value of the coefficient
of consolidation deduced from the oedometer tests. This
agrees with the general trend that emerged from similar ex 2006 NRC Canada

1114
Fig. 11. Soil profile at the site where the embankment was constructed (adapted from Bilotta and Viggiani 1975).

perience documented in the literature, according to which

the consolidation parameters obtained from field performance are generally higher than those from laboratory tests
on small specimens because the latter cannot account for the
macrofabric features of the natural soil deposits (Bilotta and
Viggiani 1975; Burghignoli and Calabresi 1975; Leroueil et
al. 1990).
The computed results are also displayed in Fig. 12 for
comparison with the measured values. As can be seen, the
pore pressures calculated at depths of 11.0 m (Fig. 12b) and
17.5 m (Fig. 12c) are in good agreement with those observed
at the same depths during the loading stage and after the embankment construction. The theoretical curves also account
for the decrease in pore pressure produced by the partial unloading that occurred in October 1973. The comparison between simulation and observation is not equally favourable
for the pore pressure evolution at a depth of 24.5 m
(Fig. 12d), with the calculated results that generally overestimate the experimental values. This could be ascribed to the
gaseous inclusions found in the lower part of the silty clay
layer, which could have affected both the measurements and
the pore pressure variations with time that occurred in this
zone. It should be observed from Fig. 12d that a better
agreement between measured and computed pore pressures
may be obtained, especially at the early stage of consolidation, when a value of = 0.8 is used instead of = 1.0, to
approximately account for the pore-fluid compressibility due
to the presence of the gaseous inclusions.
Another comparison of theoretical and experimental results is presented in Fig. 13 in terms of isochrones at the end
of the embankment construction (28 May 1971) and just before the partial removal of the load (16 October 1973). Figure 13 reports the measurements performed in all the
piezometers installed in the silty clay layer (Fig. 9). The calculations were carried out using the value of cv indicated
previously and assuming = 1.0. As shown in Fig. 13, the
agreement between predicted and observed behaviour is satisfactory. The greatest discrepancies are at depths greater
than 22 m where the gaseous inclusions were found. Further

Can. Geotech. J. Vol. 43, 2006

Fig. 12. (a) Loading process considered in the calculations. (bd)
Calculated and measured elevation of water level above the average sea level, hw, versus time at 11.0, 17.5, and 24.5 m below the
ground surface (adapted from Bilotta and Viggiani 1975).

calculations were thus carried out considering a value of =

0.8, as previously specified, and the results are plotted in
Fig. 13 only for the lower part of the soil layer. These results essentially confirm what has already been stated, although in this case the three-dimensional effects should have
exerted a significant influence on the experimental data.

Concluding remarks
A simple to use analytical procedure has been proposed
for the analysis of one-dimensional consolidation of soils
subjected to time-dependent loading. The procedure makes
use of the Fourier series and allows consideration of both
single loads and cyclic loads by a suitable choice of the series period. Pore-fluid compressibility can be also accounted
for. Excellent agreement has been found between the results
obtained using the present solution and those derived from
existing theoretical solutions. Moreover, the analysis of experimental results from laboratory and field measurements
has proved the usefulness of the proposed solution for ob 2006 NRC Canada

Conte and Troncone

Fig. 13. Calculated and measured excess pore pressures versus
depth at the end of the embankment construction (28 May 1971)
and just before the partial removal of the load (16 October 1973)
(adapted from Bilotta and Viggiani 1975).

taining representative values of the coefficient of consolidation of the soil, whose evaluation in practice is generally not
a simple operation.

References
Baligh, M.M., and Levadoux, J.N. 1978. Consolidation theory for
cyclic loading. Journal of the Geotechnical Engineering Division, ASCE, 104(GT4): 415431.
Barden, L. 1965. Consolidation of compacted and unsaturated
clays. Gotechnique, 15: 267286.
Bilotta, E., and Viggiani, C. 1975. Una indagine sperimentale in
vera grandezza sul comportamento di un banco di argille
normalmente consolidate. In Proceedings of the 12th Italian
Geotechnical Conference, Cosenza, 1821 September 1975. Italian Geotechnical Society (AGI), Rome, Italy. Vol. 1, pp. 223
240. [In Italian.]
Burghignoli, A., and Calabresi, G. 1975. Determinazione del
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Appendix A: Solution to the equation

governing one-dimensional consolidation
when the loading rate is unity
Under all the assumptions specified in a previous section,
the differential equation governing one-dimensional consolidation when the rate of the external load is kept at unity is as
follows:
[A1]

cv

2u 1 u
=
1
z 2 t

where z and t are the independent variables, u is the unknown function depending on both z and t, and cv and are
constant quantities. The boundary conditions considered in
this study are
2006 NRC Canada

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[A2]

Can. Geotech. J. Vol. 43, 2006

u
=0
z

at z = 0, t > 0

and
[A3]

[A10]
u =0

at z = H, t > 0

and the initial condition is

[A4]

u =0

at t = 0, 0 z H

To reduce eq. [A1] to a separable partial differential equation, we set

[A5]

u (z, t) = U(z, t) + Y(z)

where U is a function of z and t, and Y is a function only of

z. Because of this equation, eq. [A1] is transformed into
[A6]

As a result, because of eq. [A5], the boundary and initial

conditions for U(z, t) are

cv

2U
d2Y 1 U
+ cv 2 =
1
2
z
dz
t

U
=0
z

[A11] U = 0

at z = H, t > 0

and
[A12] U =

1
( H 2 z 2)
2cv

d2Y 1
+
=0
dz 2 cv

[A13] U(z, t) =

2
cvH

[A8]

subject to the initial and boundary conditions expressed in

terms of U(z, t).
The function Y(z) satisfying eq. [A7] with the spatial
boundary conditions of the problem is
[A9]

1
Y(z) =
( H 2 z 2)
2cv

(1) j
cos ( j z) exp( 2j cvt)
3
j =1 j

where j = (2j 1) /(2H). Consequently, substituting

eqs. [A9] and [A13] into eq. [A5] yields the complete solution to eq. [A1], i.e.,

we have only to integrate the partial differential equation

2U 1 U
cv 2 =
z
t

at t = 0, 0 z H

Lastly, using a solution procedure similar to that developed

by Taylor (1948) to achieve the solution to the equation governing Terzaghis one-dimensional consolidation, the solution to eq. [A8] with eqs. [A10][A12] can be written as

Now, we notice that if

[A7]

at z = 0, t > 0

[A14] u (z, t) =

2
cvH

(1) j
cos ( j z) exp( 2j cvt)
3

j
j =1

1
( H 2 z 2)
2cv

Reference
Taylor, D.W. 1948. Fundamentals of soil mechanics. John Wiley &
Sons, Inc., New York.

2006 NRC Canada