Abstract: A weak form quadrature element formulation is established for finite deformation consolidation problems of an elasto-plastic saturated soft clay. The total Lagrangian (TL) description scheme and the weak form description of Biot’s theory are adopted in the derivation of the formulation. The constitutive model of the soil skeleton is based on a multiplicative decomposition of the deformation gradient into elastic and plastic parts. The exponential flow relation between the velocity of pore fluid and hydraulic gradient is used to describe the continuity condition in Biot’s theory. Results of numerical examples are compared with those of ABAQUS and previous studies, and very good agreement is reached, demonstrating the reliability and efficiency of the present formulation. The effect of non-Darcian flow on consolidation in the finite strain range is discussed and it is shown that, with the increase of the non-Darcian model parameters, the rate of consolidation and the differential settlement decrease.

Key words: Weak form quadrature element method; Finite deformation elasto-plastic consolidation; Soft clay; Multiplicative decomposition; Non-Darcian flow; Biot’s theory

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