Reduced suction and simplified consolidation theory for expansive soils

In this paper a new concept about reduced suction (or equivalent suction) has been proposed. The reduced suction can be easily determined from oedometer test of expansive soil samples. Based on this new concept and an elasto-plastic model for overconsolidated soils a simplified consolidation theory using nodal displacements and reduced pore pressure as basic variables has been presented. Its governing equations are formally similar to that of the consolidation theory for saturated soils with compressible pore fluid. A finite element program has been developed based on this theory and a numerical example of wetting deformation of a canal slope computed with this program is given.