Abstract: The large strain and nonlinear consolidation characteristics of soft soils with high compressibility have obvious effects on their consolidation, but few analytical solutions for large-strain nonlinear consolidation of soils with vertical drains have been reported in the literature. By considering the large deformation characteristics of soft soils with high compressibility during consolidation, a large-strain nonlinear consolidation model of soils with vertical drains is developed and an analytical solution for this consolidation model is obtained based on Gibson’s large deformation consolidation theory, in which a double logarithmic nonlinear compressibility and permeability model is adopted to describe the variation of the compressibility and permeability of soft soils. The proposed analytical solutions are compared with the numerical solutions of large-strain nonlinear consolidation of soils with vertical drains and the analytical solutions of small-strain linear consolidation under specific conditions to verify its reliability. On this basis, the nonlinear consolidation properties of soils with vertical drains under different conditions are analyzed by extensive calculations. The results show that the consolidation rate increases with decreasing the permeability parameter α , when the compression index I_c, keeps constant. The consolidation rate increases with decreasing the compression index I_c, when the permeability parameter α  remains constant. The consolidation rate of soils with vertical drains increases with an increase in external load, and decrease with an increase in the ratio of influential zone radius to vertical drain radius when the compressibility and permeability parameters remain constant. Finally, the proposed analytical solution is applied to the reclaimed foundation treatment project of Shenzhen Western Corridor boundary control point(BCP). The settlement curve calculated by proposed solutions is in good agreement with the measured curve, which further illustrates the engineering applicability of the proposed analytical solution.

Key words: soils with vertical drains, nonlinearity, large strain, time-dependent loading, analytical solution