Modeling Memory Effects in One‐Dimensional Soft Soil Consolidation: A Fractional‐Derivative Approach

Abstract With the increase in construction on soft clay, accurately assessing its consolidation behavior has become crucial. This paper presents a consolidation system using fractional‐derivative models. The Caputo fractional‐derivative Merchant model (FDMM) was used to simulate soil skeleton deformation, and the Riemann‐Liouville (R‐L) fractional‐derivative Darcy model (FDDM) was adopted to describe water flow within soft clay. The efficiency of the R‐L FDDM was verified using literature data. The one‐dimensional rheological consolidation equation was derived. The reliability of the numerical procedure was examined by comparing the calculated results with literature data. Finally, the influence of fractional order on the consolidation behavior of soft clay was investigated.