Finite Element Study on Calculation of Nonlinear Soil Consolidation Using Compression and Recompression Indexes

The coefficient of consolidation is traditionally considered as a constant value in soil consolidation calculations. This paper uses compression and recompression indexes to calculate the solution-dependent nonlinear compressibility, thus overconsolidation and normal consolidation are separated during the calculations. Moreover, the complex nonlinear consolidation can be described using the nonlinear compressibility and a nonlinear permeability. Then, the finite element discrete equation with consideration of the time-dependent load is derived, and a corresponding program is developed. Subsequently, a case history is conducted for verifying the proposed method and the program. The results show that the method is sufficiently accurate, indicating the necessity of considering nonlinearity for consolidation calculations. Finally, three cases are compared to reveal the importance of separating the overconsolidation and normal consolidation. Overall, this study concluded that it is inadequate to consider just one consolidation status in calculations, and that the proposed method is more reasonable for guiding construction.