Plane Strain Consolidation of Saturated Soils in a Finite Rectangular Domain With Partially Pervious Vertical Boundaries

ABSTRACT In practical geotechnical engineering, boundary conditions often exhibit partially pervious characteristics. Previous research on the consolidation behavior of saturated media within a finite domain has generally overlooked the effect of boundary perviousness on the consolidation behavior. This study develops a modified analytical model to examine the plane strain consolidation of saturated porous media with a partially pervious vertical boundary. By incorporating the existing generalized solution with the partially pervious vertical boundary condition, the analytical derivation is first carried out in the transformed domain. The corresponding exact solution in the physical domain is subsequently obtained through a Fourier series expansion combined with Crump's numerical Laplace inversion technique. The reliability of the developed analytical solution is verified by comparing the present results with those in the literature under conditions of full perviousness. Using the proposed solution, numerical calculations are then performed to investigate the effects of boundary perviousness parameters and loading width on the consolidation behavior. Furthermore, the evolution of excess pore water pressure, settlement, and horizontal displacement over space and time is analyzed. The results demonstrate the significant influence of partially pervious boundaries on excess pore water pressure dissipation and soil displacement evolution.