Abstract: Adopting the hypotheses that the variation of compressibility is proportional to permeability, and based on - and - relationships, analytical solutions are derived for one-dimensional nonlinear consolidation of saturated soft layered soils. The average degrees of consolidation of each layer and whole layered soils are defined in terms of settlement and effective stress respectively. A relevant computational program is developed by Fortran in this paper, and the solutions are verified by comparing with the existing analytical solutions for the one-dimensional nonlinear consolidation of double-layered soils. It is shown that in the process of the nonlinear consolidation of layered soils, the influence of the permeability is complex. The influence of permeability on the excess pore water pressure in the upper and the lower layers is different. The larger compressibility is, the greater the excess pore water pressure is, and the slower the rate of dissipation of the excess pore water pressure and greater the value of loading generate slow dissipation of the excess pore water pressure, and the slow consolidation process. The rate of dissipation of the excess pore water pressure depends not only on the layers thickness, but also the relative value of permeability of each layer soil.

Key words: saturated soft soils, layered soils, nonlinear consolidation, analytical solutions, consolidation behavior