For the foundations of sand drains with different permeability coefficients,different depths and different radii,the finite element consolidation calculation of the sand drain foundation was carried out. The finite element simulation results of the consolidation of the sand drain foundation considering the drain resistance are compared with the ideal solution of the Barron ideal drain. The influence degree of drain resistance on the consolidation of sand drain foundation was analyzed,and the necessity of properly considering drain resistance or drainage capacity when designing sand drain or drainage board foundation was demonstrated.The research shows that,(1) The smaller the permeability coefficient of the sand drain is,the smaller the degree of consolidation achieved under the same time conditions will be;similarly,the longer the time required for the same consolidation degree is,the more obvious the drain resistance effect will become. And the deeper the soil reinforcement is,the more significant influence of the drain resistance effect will be;(2)The influence of drain resistance on the consolidation degree of foundation and the consolidation time of foundation can not be ignored. Under the finite element simulation parameters of this paper,corresponding to the same consolidation time,when the ideal drain consolidation degree reaches 80%,the consolidation degree considering the drain resistance is 13%~67%,and the relative error relative to the ideal drain consolidation degree is 16%~83%. Corresponding to the same degree of consolidation,when the degree of consolidation reaches 80%,the relative error of the consolidation time relative to the ideal drain is greater than 50%.