Eccentric settlements of a rigid foundation on a consolidating layer

Abstract

The paper examines the eccentric settlement of a rigid foundation located at the surface of a poroelastic layer saturated with a compressible pore fluid. The base of the rigid foundation is circular and flat. The poroelastic layer rests in bonded contact with an impermeable, rigid subbase and the surface of the layer is considered to be either permeable or impermeable. The paper develops the integral equations governing the eccentric settlement of the rigid foundation associated with the consolidation process of the saturated poroelastic layer. The numerical results presented in the paper illustrate the time-dependent behavior of the rigid foundation by taking into account the effects of the relative layer thickness, eccentricity, drainage conditions, and the compressibility of the pore fluid.