This paper investigates the effect of interfacial flow contact resistance on the thermal consolidation of layered viscoelastic saturated soils with semi-permeable boundaries. A new thermal consolidation model is established by introducing a fractional order derivative model, Hagen-Poiseuille law, and time-dependent loadings. The semi-analytical solutions for the proposed model are derived through the Laplace transform and its inverse transform. The reliability and correctness of the solutions are verified with experimental data from literature. The influence of constitutive parameters, flow contact resistance model parameters on the thermal consolidation process and the interfacial flow contact resistance on foundation settlement is further explored. The results indicate that the impact of constitutive parameters and permeability coefficient on the thermal consolidation of viscoelastic saturated soil is related to the flow contact resistance. The enhanced flow contact resistance effect leads to a significant increase in pore water pressure and displacement during the consolidation process. The study highlights the importance of considering semi-permeable boundaries in the thermal consolidation of saturated soils, as they regulate the dissipation rate of excess water pressure at the boundary, directly affecting the overall rate of ground consolidation. The research also emphasizes the limitations of conventional consolidation theories that rely on linear elastic deformation assumptions, which often result in inadequate descriptions of soft ground consolidation problems. The study introduces a fractional order derivative model to describe the rheological properties of viscoelastic materials, leading to significant advancements in using fractional order calculus to describe these properties. The results show that the interfacial flow contact resistance effect has a significant impact on the thermal consolidation of saturated soils, and this effect is rarely studied despite saturated soils being the most common porous material in nature. The study concludes that the flow contact resistance effect at the interface during thermal consolidation of layered viscoelastic saturated soils with semi-permeable boundaries is an important factor that needs to be considered in geotechnical engineering.This paper investigates the effect of interfacial flow contact resistance on the thermal consolidation of layered viscoelastic saturated soils with semi-permeable boundaries. A new thermal consolidation model is established by introducing a fractional order derivative model, Hagen-Poiseuille law, and time-dependent loadings. The semi-analytical solutions for the proposed model are derived through the Laplace transform and its inverse transform. The reliability and correctness of the solutions are verified with experimental data from literature. The influence of constitutive parameters, flow contact resistance model parameters on the thermal consolidation process and the interfacial flow contact resistance on foundation settlement is further explored. The results indicate that the impact of constitutive parameters and permeability coefficient on the thermal consolidation of viscoelastic saturated soil is related to the flow contact resistance. The enhanced flow contact resistance effect leads to a significant increase in pore water pressure and displacement during the consolidation process. The study highlights the importance of considering semi-permeable boundaries in the thermal consolidation of saturated soils, as they regulate the dissipation rate of excess water pressure at the boundary, directly affecting the overall rate of ground consolidation. The research also emphasizes the limitations of conventional consolidation theories that rely on linear elastic deformation assumptions, which often result in inadequate descriptions of soft ground consolidation problems. The study introduces a fractional order derivative model to describe the rheological properties of viscoelastic materials, leading to significant advancements in using fractional order calculus to describe these properties. The results show that the interfacial flow contact resistance effect has a significant impact on the thermal consolidation of saturated soils, and this effect is rarely studied despite saturated soils being the most common porous material in nature. The study concludes that the flow contact resistance effect at the interface during thermal consolidation of layered viscoelastic saturated soils with semi-permeable boundaries is an important factor that needs to be considered in geotechnical engineering.