Stochastic Analysis of Consolidation Settlement in Unsaturated Soils

The analysis of consolidation settlement in unsaturated soils is of significant importance in geotechnical engineering. Neglecting the effects of matric suction in design can lead to suboptimal and uneconomical solutions. In this study, the consolidation settlement of an unsaturated soil deposit under loading is investigated through stochastic approaches. In the first step, a numerical program was developed in MATLAB, utilizing finite difference equations to model consolidation behavior in unsaturated soils. This model was then extended to a stochastic framework using Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) to account for uncertainties in soil properties. The study examines key parameters influencing consolidation behavior, including soil permeability, air permeability, degree of saturation, and unsaturated soil porosity. For this purpose, the upper and lower boundary media were considered permeable. Additionally, nonlinear variations in pore water pressure and their impact on the overall settlement process were analyzed. Moreover, the findings highlight the necessity of considering unsaturated conditions to achieve a more accurate assessment of consolidation settlement. This research contributes to a better understanding of unsaturated soil behavior, emphasizing the importance of incorporating stochastic methods in geotechnical engineering analyses.

کلیدواژه ها:

Unsaturated soil consolidation ، Matric suction effects ، Finite difference method ، Monte Carlo Simulation