Uavg is zero (no settlement)
and the time factor T is also zero. When one-half of the consolidation settlement has occurred (i.e.,
Uavg = 50 percent), the time factor T = 0.197. The Terzaghi theory of consolidation predicts that
the time t for complete consolidation (Uavg = 100 percent, i.e., total settlement) is infinity, but as a
practical matter, a time factor T equal to 1.0 is often assumed for Uavg = 100 percent.
Figure 8.12 shows the average degree of consolidation Uavg versus time factor T for various values
of a. For this chart, a is defined as