ABSTRACT
Because of the mathematical complexity of Biot’s consolidation theory, analytical solutions are possible only for simple problems with a symmetric configuration, e.g. [2], while for more complex realistic situations it is necessary to use numerical techniques. At present the implementation of a finite element (FE) consolidation model can be considered a quite common practice. Nevertheless, the solution to realistic problems may still be very difficult, particularly because the resulting linear system can be ill-conditioned, especially for small time steps, and typically has a large size, thus requiring significant computational cost and effort.
