Hm. Shodja et Jr. Feldkamp, NUMERICAL-ANALYSIS OF SEDIMENTATION AND CONSOLIDATION BY THE MOVING FINITE-ELEMENT METHOD, International journal for numerical and analytical methods in geomechanics, 17(11), 1993, pp. 753-769
Traditionally, sedimentation and self-weight consolidation have been v
iewed as physically distinct processes requiring separate treatment. R
elatively recently, Pane and Schiffman(1) and also Philip and Smiles(2
) have suggested that the two processes may be described by a single p
artial differential equation, essentially that of Gibson et al.(3) The
former suggests a modification of Terzaghi's effective stress princip
le while the paper by Philip and Smiles suggests that a suitable model
ling of material properties is sufficient. We have adopted the latter
approach by allowing for the compressibility of the material in questi
on to change abruptly from finite values to infinity in the so-called
transition region which delineates that portion of space where effecti
ve stress is zero from that where effective stress in non-zero. This p
rocedure gives rise to serious difficulties when trying to solve the g
overning partial differential equation numerically. These difficulties
are circumvented by using a relatively new numerical technique known
as the Moving Finite Element (MFE) method. The MFE method is especiall
y effective in solving problems having solutions that characteristical
ly exhibit shock-like structure. The modelling of sedimentation and se
lf-weight consolidation from a single governing model is an ideal cand
idate for MFE due to the abrupt, almost discontinuous change in void r
atio displayed in the transition region.