Analytical solution for 1D consolidation of unsaturated soil with mixed boundary condition

Based on consolidation equations proposed for unsaturated soil, an analytical solution for 1D consolidation of an unsaturated single-layer soil with nonhomogeneous mixed boundary condition is developed. The mixed boundary condition can be used for special applications, such as tests occur in laboratory. The analytical solution is obtained by assuming all material parameters remain constant during consolidation. In the derivation of the analytical solution, the nonhomogeneous boundary condition is first transformed into a homogeneous boundary condition. Then, the eigenfunction and eigenvalue are derived according to the consolidation equations and the new boundary condition. Finally, using the method of undetermined coefficients and the orthogonal relation of the eigenfunction, the analytical solution for the new boundary condition is obtained. The present method is applicable to various types of boundary conditions. Several numerical examples are provided to investigate the consolidation behavior of an unsaturated single-layer soil with mixed boundary condition.