Vacuum provides an alternative in reducing the length of preloading period for soft soil consolidation. In this method, soft clay foundation is preloaded by reducing the pore-water pressures through the application of...Vacuum provides an alternative in reducing the length of preloading period for soft soil consolidation. In this method, soft clay foundation is preloaded by reducing the pore-water pressures through the application of vacuum pressure in combination with surcharge preloading. A full scale and fully instrumented test embankment was constructed. A drainage pattern system combined with 22 m prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs) length was used with triangular pattern of 1.2 m spacing. Among the foundation instrumentation, piezometers were installed in the foundation subsoil at varying depth to measure the pore-water pressures. After 6 months of vacuum pressure application at 80 kPa, the test embankments were raised to a maximum height of 5.5 m. The effect of vacuum preloading was investigated by the field conditions, maintaining higher vacuum pressures, and unloading vacuum. The results demonstrated the efficiency of combined vacuum and surcharge preloading.展开更多
文摘Vacuum provides an alternative in reducing the length of preloading period for soft soil consolidation. In this method, soft clay foundation is preloaded by reducing the pore-water pressures through the application of vacuum pressure in combination with surcharge preloading. A full scale and fully instrumented test embankment was constructed. A drainage pattern system combined with 22 m prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs) length was used with triangular pattern of 1.2 m spacing. Among the foundation instrumentation, piezometers were installed in the foundation subsoil at varying depth to measure the pore-water pressures. After 6 months of vacuum pressure application at 80 kPa, the test embankments were raised to a maximum height of 5.5 m. The effect of vacuum preloading was investigated by the field conditions, maintaining higher vacuum pressures, and unloading vacuum. The results demonstrated the efficiency of combined vacuum and surcharge preloading.