Consolidation Effect of Prefabricated Vertical Drains with Different Lengths for Soft Subsoil under Vacuum Preloading

Improving Engineering Properties of Soft Soil Using Preloading and Prefabricated Vertical Drains

Preloading and Prefabricated Vertical Drains (PVD) is a ground improvement technique used to increase the consolidation process of clayey soils by means of shortening the drainage path. This paper discusses a case study of a road construction where a part of road alignment goes through a low laying water logged area. Primary consolidation of soft clay will continue for longer period of time aft...

Settlements and Consolidation Rates under Embankments in a Soft Soil with Vertical Drains

In this paper, a study was carried out in order to estimate settlements and consolidation rates under embankments constructed on Moroccan soft soils.  Settlement measurements in several embankments in High Speed Railway project between two Moroccan cities, Tangier and Assilah,  were analyzed. The objective of this study is to estimate settlement values and settlement rates, with sufficient prec...

Effects of partially penetrating prefabricated vertical drains and loading patterns on vacuum consolidation

In this study, numerical modeling of a multi-drain system is employed to determine the optimum penetration depth of prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs) and the vacuum pressure that provides the maximum consolidation settlement and less lateral displacements. The plane strain analysis using an equivalent permeability with transformed unit cell geometry was considered for varying drain length an...

Three-Dimensional Analysis of Soft Soil Consolidation improved by Prefabricated Vertical Drains

A system of prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs) with a surcharge load is an effective method for accelerating soil consolidation by promoting radial flow. This study presents a three-dimensional (3D) finite element model for soft soil improved by a single drain. In the finite element analysis, the actual rectangular PVD cross-section is considered, and the equivalent drain diameter is then bac...

Soft soils improved by prefabricated vertical drains: performance and prediction