Permeability evaluation in modeling the consolidation of an Italian soft clay deposit

The present research concerns a comparative analysis of the possible methods for estimating soft silty clay permeability to be used in the analysis of consolidation. For this purpose the consolidation response of an instrumented thick and homogeneous soft silty clay deposit, on which an embankment was constructed, is back-analyzed using the finite element method. In order to model the time-dependent soil behavior, permeability data are carefully determined both from laboratory and in-situ piezocone tests. One-dimensional and triaxial permeability test data are compared with the results of piezocone dissipation tests, the latter interpreted using four different solutions. The effects of anisotropy on permeability characteristics influencing the consolidation rate is also discussed