One‐dimensional consolidation of a clay layer with impeded drainage boundaries

In many field transient water flow problems of practical interest the main source of settlement is a single compressible layer bounded above and below by layers that contribute little to total settlement but that have coefficients of permeabilities and thicknesses such that they can be considered neither freely draining nor impervious. Furthermore, the top and bottom drainage layers can have unequal permeabilities and thicknesses. An analytical solution to the one‐dimensional consolidation of a clay layer with unlike drainage boundaries is developed, and the results are presented in the form of percent consolidation versus time factor to facilitate their use by engineers.