A consolidation model for a creeping clay

A nonlinear theory of consolidation is presented which takes into account secondary compression. The theory is incorporated into a weak form of equilibrium that is suitable for a finite element procedure. The model is used to interpret Crawford's experimental data on Leda clay. Limitations of the model are discussed, and a few thoughts on the effects of temperature on the evaluation of model parameters are briefly presented.Key words: secondary compression, creep, one-dimensional consolidation, modelling.