The scientists studied how soft soil with vertical drains behaves when the initial pore water pressure is unevenly spread. They found a general solution for this situation, and also specific solutions for different pressure distributions. The way the pressure is distributed affects how the soil consolidates, with the most significant impact on excess water pressure. In single-drainage situations, consolidation is fastest with an inverse triangular pressure distribution and slowest with a regular triangular one. In double-drainage scenarios, the consolidation rate doesn't change based on pressure distribution.