Time-Dependent Consolidation
In order to perform a time-dependent consolidation analysis:
- Select the Time-dependent Consolidation Analysis checkbox under the General tab in the Project Settings dialog. This will enable the time-dependent modelling features in Settle3.
- Select the Time Units (seconds, minutes, days, months, years, date) which are most appropriate for your model. Note: for computational purposes, 1 month is assumed to be 1/12 of a year or 365/12 = about 30.4 days.
- If the Groundwater Analysis option in Project Settings was not already turned on, you will see a message dialog indicating that the groundwater option will automatically be turned on, because groundwater (pore pressure) must always be considered for time-dependent consolidation.
- Each stage needs to have a unique time.
Time Dependent ON
When the Time-dependent Consolidation Analysis checkbox has been selected in Project Settings, you will be able to define:
- Time-dependent material properties in the Soil Properties dialog.
- Time-dependent loading conditions.
- Times at which results are to be computed.
Time Dependent OFF
If the Time-dependent Consolidation Analysis checkbox is NOT selected, then you can carry out a settlement analysis which calculates immediate settlement, and long-term consolidation (at "infinite" time).
See the Settle3 Theory manual for information about the settlement and consolidation calculations used in the program.