Abstract
A computer program using finite element techniques is developed in this work to analyze the partially-drained behavior of an elasto-viscoplastic material under three-dimensional axi-symmetric loading conditions. Tests of the program show that the results are comparable to published solutions for two typical consolidation problems. It is then shown that the results from the analyses of partially-drained, conventional triaxial testing of a normally consolidated clay compare favorably with the measured results over a wide range of partially-drained states. It is proposed that the partially-drained triaxial testing can be classified into three categories : fully-drained ; intermediate ; and fully-undrained, in terms of a dimensionless rate parameter dEZ/dT. Furthermore, a method of accounting for the efficiency of filter paper drains in the triaxial testing is presented.
