Abstract:Sand drains foundation consolidation theory is modified based on the non-Darcy seepage model which considering the initial hydraulic gradient. The control equations are derived and then explicit solutions are obtained. The consolidation behavior of sand drains foundation considering initial hydraulic gradient has been researched. The results show that because of the existence of initial hydraulic gradient, the consolidation degree of stress finally reached a value less than 100%, and the final degree of consolidation decreases with the increase of initial hydraulic gradient. Meanwhile, the initial pore water pressure also influences the consolidation characters, higher initial pore water pressure lead to faster dissipating of pore water pressure and consequently higher degree of consolidation.However, the sensitivity of consolidation degree with initial pore water pressure will reduced as the initial pore water pressure increases to a certain value.