Abstract：There sometimes exits notable difference between the solution of one-dimensional consolidation of saturated clay layers based on Terzaghi¢s theory and the field settlement observations，which can be in a certain extent ascribed to that the flow of pore water in these soil layers may not obey Darcy¢s law. In order to improve the precision of consolidation computation，Terzaghi¢s one-dimensional consolidation theory is modified based on the non-Darcy flow described by the power function for the lower velocity of flow and the linear function for higher velocity of flow，and the numerical analysis is performed using the finite volume method. In order to verify its validity，the numerical solution by the present method for the case that the flow of pore water obeys Darcy¢s law is compared with the analytical solution based on Terzaghi¢s one-dimensional consolidation theory. Then the effects of the parameters of non-Darcy flow on the consolidation process are investigated. The numerical results indicate that the non-Darcy flow delays the dissipation of pore water pressure in saturated clay layers；thereby the consolidation velocity of these soil layers is smaller than the solution based on Terzaghi¢s theory. Besides the coefficient of consolidation，a new parameter I1 composed of the threshold hydraulic gradient i1，the thickness of soil layer H and the vertical uniform load p0 is introduced to characterize the consolidation of these soil layers. Finally，the applicability of Terzaghi¢s one-dimensional consolidation theory is discussed.
