PLANE STRAIN AND AXIALLY SYMMETRIC CONSOLIDATION OF A CLAY LAYER ON A SMOOTH IMPERVIOUS BASE

Abstract

Loaded clay strata settle gradually due to the squeezing out of water from the pores of the soil. It is important for the civil engineer to be able to assess the magnitude and progress of this consolidation settlement. Analysis has hitherto been confined to cases where the thickness of the stratum is very great compared with the dimensions of the loaded area. The problem of the porous elastic layer of infinite lateral extent, to the surface of which a uniform pressure is applied over an infinite strip or over a circular area, is treated here. Some results of interest have been evaluated and are presented in graphical form.