ABSTRACT
The associated volume change in soft clay may continue long after the immediate settlement. The settlement due to consolidation in soft clay may be several times larger than the immediate settlement. Several types of rheological models have been used by various investigators for better representation of stress-strain-time behavior of soils. The average degree of consolidation is also the ratio of consolidation settlement at any time to maximum consolidation settlement. The finite difference solution for one-dimensional consolidation, starting from the basic differential equation of K. Terzaghi's consolidation theory. There are several variables involved, such as different coefficients of permeability, the thickness of layers, and different values of coefficient of consolidation. The standard one-dimensional consolidation test is usually carried out on saturated specimens about 25.4 mm thick and 63.5 mm in diameter.
