Study of the Efficiency of Vertical Drains by an FEM Method in Soil Treatment for Road Projects: Case of the Development and Bitumination Works of the ROCADE Porto-Novo in Benin

This article aims to study the efficiency of coupled vertical drains for the treatment of long-lasting compressible clay soils for the road project platform of the ring road of Porto Novo, capital of Benin. The experimental data allowed us to estimate a consolidation of 29% in 9 months, justifying the drainage of the soil. In order to study the efficiency of drainage, a FEM model was proposed simulating different scenarios. These include a drainless road, pavements equipped with vertical drains with meshes of 0.5 m 0.5 m, 1 m 1 m and 1.5 m 1.5 m respectively and horizontal drains. The results expressed in terms of variations in vertical stresses, effective stresses and shear deformations revealed significant variations in pavement performance depending on the mesh size of the vertical drains. The configuration with a mesh of 0.5 m 0.5 m showed the least deformations, thus indicating a reduction in deformations and better stress distribution. However, the other mesh configurations showed variable results, underlining the importance of choosing the right mesh for the specific project conditions.

Modelling smear effect of vertical drains using a diameter reduction method

Vertical drains are used to accelerate consolidation of clays in ground improvement projects.Smear zones exist around these drains,where permeability is reduced due to soil disturbance caused by the installation process.Hansbo solution is widely used in practice to consider the effects of drain discharge capacity and smear on the consolidation process.In this study,a computationally efficient diameter reduction method(DRM)obtained from the Hansbo solution is proposed to consider the smear effect without the need to model the smear zone physically.Validated by analytical and numerical results,a diameter reduction factor is analytically derived to reduce the diameter of the drain,while achieving similar solutions of pore pressure dissipation profile as the classical full model of the smear zone and drain.With the DRM,the excess pore pressure u obtained from the reduced drain in the original un-disturbed soil zone is accurate enough for practical applications in numerical models.Such performance of DRM is independent of soil material property.Results also show equally accurate performance of DRM under conditions of multi-layered soils and coupled radial-vertical groundwater flow.

Performance assessment of prefabricated vertical drains in mitigating soil reliquefaction subjected to repeated seismic events using shaking table experiments

The use of prefabricated vertical drains(PVD)in liquefiable deposits is gaining attention due to enhanced drainage.However,investigations on PVD in mitigating re-liquefaction during repeated shaking events are not available.This study performed a series of shaking table experiments on untreated and PVD-treated specimens prepared with 40%and 60%relative density.Repeated sinusoidal loading was applied with an incremental peak acceleration of 0.1g,0.2g,0.3g,and 0.4g,at 5 Hz shaking frequency with 40 s duration.The performance of treated ground was evaluated based on the generation and dissipation of excess pore water pressure(EPWP),induced sand densification,subsidence,and cyclic stress ratio.In addition,the strain accumulated in fresh and exhumed PVD was investigated using geotextile tensile testing apparatus aided with digital image correlation.No evidence of pore pressure was reported up to 0.2g peak acceleration for 40%and 60%relative density specimens.The continuous occurrence of soil densification and drainage medium restrained and delayed the generation of EPWP and expedited the dissipation process.This study demonstrates PVD can mitigate re-liquefaction,without suffering from deterioration,when subjected to medium to high intense repeated shaking events.

A general solution for vertical-drain consolidation with impeded drainage boundaries

An analytical solution is derived from the generalized governing equations of equal-strain consolidation with vertical drains under multi-ramp surcharge preloading. The hydraulic boundary conditions at both top and bottom of the consolidating soil are modelled as impeded drainage. The impeded drainage is described by using the third type boundary condition with a characteristic factor of drainage efficiency. Fully drained and undrained boundary conditions can also be modelled by applying an infinite and a zero characteristic factor, respectively. Simultaneous radial and vertical flow conditions are considered, together with the effects of drain resistance and smear. An increase in total stress due to multi-ramp loading is reasonably modelled as a function of both time and depth. A solution to calculate excess pore-water pressure at any arbitrary point in soil is derived, and the overall average degree of consolidation is obtained. It shows that the proposed solution can be used to analyze not only vertical-drain consolidation but also one-dimensional consolidation under either one-way or two-way vertical drainage conditions. The characteristic factors of drainage efficiency of top and bottom boundaries have a potentially important influence on consolidation. The boundary may be considered fully drained when the characteristic factor is greater than 100 and fully undrained when the characteristic factor is less than 0.1. The stress distribution along depth induced by the surcharge loading has a limited effect on the overall average degree of consolidation.

Numerical model of soft ground improvement by vertical drain combined with vacuum preloading

The rapid development of high-speed transportation infrastructure such as highway and high-speed railway has resulted in the advancement of soft soil improvement techniques. Vacuum preloading combined with vertical drains has been proved to be an effective method in the treatment of soft foundation. A three-dimensional numerical analysis of the coupled methods was presented, in which the smear zone and the well resistance were taken into account. The variations of the basic soil parameters including the permeability coefficient and the coefficient of volume compressibility were considered in the numerical model. The result of the numerical model was then compared to the measured value. The results indicate that the decrease of coefficient of volume compressibility accelerates the consolidation of the soil while the influence of hydraulic conductivity is insignificant. A cube drain presents the closest result to the real situation compared to the other equivalent methods of prefabricated vertical drain (PVD). The case study indicates that the numerical model with variation of soil parameters is closer to the measured value than the numerical model without variation of soil parameters.

The mechanism and effects of subgrade fluidisation under ballasted railway tracks

The rapid growth in railway infrastructure and the construction of high-speed heavy-haul rail network,especially on ground that is basically unsuitable,poses challenges for geotechnical engineers because a large part of the money invested in the development of railway lines is often spent on track maintenance.In fact around the world,the mud pumping of subgrade fines is one of the common reasons why track performance deteriorates and track stability is hindered.This article presents a series of laboratory tests to examine following aspects of mud pumping:(1)the mechanisms of subgrade fluidisation under undrained condition,(2)the effects of mud pumping on the engineering characteristics of ballast,and(3)the use of vertical drains to stabilize subgrade under cyclic loads.The undrained cyclic triaxial testing on vulnerable soft subgrade was performed by varying the cyclic stress ratio(CSR)from 0.2 to 1.0 and the loading frequency f from 1.0 to 5.0 Hz.It is seen from the test results that for a specimen compacted at an initial dry density of 1790 kg/m3,the top portion of the specimen fluidises at CSR=0.5,irrespective of the applied loading frequency.Under cyclic railway loading,the internal redistribution of water at the top of the subgrade layer softens the soil and also reduces its stiffness.In response to these problems,this paper explains how the inclusion of vertical drains in soft subgrade will help to prevent mud pumping by alleviating the build-up of excess pore pressures under moving train loads.

Radial consolidation characteristics of soft undisturbed clay based on large specimens

In recent years, reconstituted small samples have often been used to assess the performance of radial consolidation due to prefabricated vertical drains(PVDs), but the permeability and compressibility of samples of undisturbed soil often differ from those of the remoulded ones. The problem seems more complex in marine environment due to the presence of random coarse particles including gravels, shells and natural partings. Performing small-scale laboratory experiment with reconstituted samples, especially in marine environment, cannot predict the exact soil behaviour in the field. This paper describes an experimental programme that measures radial consolidation using a conventional Rowe cell and a largescale consolidometer, where the samples of undisturbed soil obtained from a site along the Pacific Highway(north of Sydney) were compared using measured settlements and excess pore pressures.Moreover, this paper highlights the implications of the smear effect and sample size influence, which are imperative in translating the laboratory testing practices to actual real-life behaviour. The effect of vacuum pressure on the coefficient of radial consolidation of a large-scale undisturbed test specimen is also discussed. The paper demonstrates that the extent of smear zone in the field can be very similar to the large-scale laboratory consolidation test using a scaled-down drain and mandrel, but considerably different from the data obtained for small laboratory specimens.

Measured Performance and Analysis of the Residual Settlement of a PVD-Improved Marine Soft Ground

Prefabricated vertical drains(PVDs)are commonly used to shorten the drainage path for consolidation as part of the improvement of marine soft ground.Many studies that focus on the primary consolidation settlement of PVD-improved soft ground have been conducted;however,residual settlement has been scarcely investigated.Residual settlement is the net effect of secondary compression and the remaining primary consolidation and generally occurs while the facilities are operating.In this study,residual settlement was investigated using the measured field settlement data obtained from the surface settlement plate and multilayer settlement gauges.This study determined that PVD still has some effect on residual settlement and can reduce the settlement times.Residual settlement is only related to the PVD-improved soil layer and only occurs significantly in the middle zone of that layer over a few months.The middle zone may be related to the time delay of excess pore water pressure dissipation.This study concluded that the remaining primary consolidation in the PVD-improved soil layer is the primary cause of residual settlement,whereas secondary compression in the PVD-improved soil layer is only a minor cause.

Improve Geotechnical Design Parameter of Some Soft Clayey Soils

The shallow Soft Clayey deposit is common in Alexandria-Egypt. Most soft clays in their natural state are unsuitable for supporting any structure. Thus, improvement treatments exist to strengthen these soils so that improved soil can have adequate bearing capacity without undergoing failure or producing substantial excessive settlement post construction and applied loads to them. This paper presents a case study of an improved site in the city center, which reclaimed part of Maryout Lake, where the highly compressible clay with water content varies from 200% near the surface to 90% at the base of the shallow clay deposit. A prefabricated vertical drain with preloading has been used to improve this soft soil. Values of shear parameters and consolidation coefficient back-calculated from field measurements and have been compared with the values from lab and in situ tests. The study provides different relationships from comparisons of prediction and estimation compressibility and consolidation settlement from laboratory studies and particularly field case studies. Also, some correlation related to the compressibility with index properties of soft clay is presented. The results display that a substantial improvement is noticeable in the compressibility properties.

Data-driven approach to solve vertical drain under time-dependent loading

Currently,the vertical drain consolidation problem is solved by numerous analytical solutions,such as time-dependent solutions and linear or parabolic radial drainage in the smear zone,and no artificial intelligence(AI)approach has been applied.Thus,in this study,a new hybrid model based on deep neural networks(DNNs),particle swarm optimization(PSO),and genetic algorithms(GAs)is proposed to solve this problem.The DNN can effectively simulate any sophisticated equation,and the PSO and GA can optimize the selected DNN and improve the performance of the prediction model.In the present study,analytical solutions to vertical drains in the literature are incorporated into the DNN–PSO and DNN–GA prediction models with three different radial drainage patterns in the smear zone under timedependent loading.The verification performed with analytical solutions and measurements from three full-scale embankment tests revealed promising applications of the proposed approach.

Combined reticular blind drainage and vertical hierarchical drainage system for landfills located in areas with high rainfall and high groundwater level

A novel water control technology that com- bines the features of a reticular blind drainage system and a vertical hierarchical drainage system is developed and applied in the Yanziyan Sanitary Landfill, which is located at an area （Loudi City, Hunan Province, China） with high rainfall and high groundwater level. The reticular blind drain system, which was installed on the bottom and side walls of the landfill site, can conveniently guide the flow of groundwater out of the site while preventing a disorga- nized flow of groundwater. The vertical hierarchical drainage system was installed to separate rainfall water and leachate in the landfill site, thus efficiently reducing the pressure of leachate treatment. The whole drainage system plays a key role in foundation stabilization by seepage control and separation and in the instant drainage of rainfall water. The leachate reduction efficiency of the drainage technology was calculated in terms of leachate production before （336519 m3） and after （29664 m3） technology application. Over 90% of leachate derived from rainfall water and groundwater inflow was avoided upon installation of the vertical hierarchical drainage and reticular blind drainage systems. The technology can thus be popularized and applied for water control in landfills located in areas with high rainfall and high groundwater level. The proposed technology can be used to alleviate the pressure of leachate treatment and to reduce the risk of instability.

Consolidation behavior of Tianjin dredged clay using two air-booster vacuum preloading methods

This paper presents model tests(macro aspect)and microstructure tests(micro aspect)for investigating the consolidation behavior of Tianjin dredged clay using the prefabricated vertical drain air-booster vacuum preloading(PAVP)and tube air-booster vacuum preloading(TAVP)methods.The mechanism of air-booster vacuum preloading(AVP)using a spring-like system is explained.The main difference between these two methods is the air-boosting equipment.A new anticlogging air-booster prefabricated vertical drain(PVD)is used in the PAVP technique and a self-designed air-booster tube is used in the TAVP technique.In the model tests,a comparison of the variables that are monitored during reinforcement(vacuum pressure,surface settlement,water discharge,and pore-water pressure)and after reinforcement(water content,dry density,and vane shear strength)is conducted.The results indicate that the consolidation behavior of Tianjin dredged clay using the PAVP method is better than that using the TAVP method.PAVP more efficiently mitigates the issue of water-draining PVD clogging and significantly accelerates drainage consolidation.In addition,in the microstructure tests,a comparison of the variables that are monitored after reinforcement(via scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and mercury intrusion porosimetry(MIP))is conducted,and the results further explain the model test results.

SEEPAGE ANALYSIS OF LANDFILL FOUNDATIONS IN SHANGHAI LAOGANG LANDFILL PHASE IV

A complex seepage flow field with unknown free surface was formed in the Shanghai Laogang Municipal Solid Waste （MSW） Landfill by the perimeter cut-off wall around the landfill site and the Prefabricated Vertical Drains （PVD） in the foundation of landfill. First, the equivalent vertical permeability was presented based on the drainage mechanism of PVD and the related calculation method was studied to macroscopically reflect the impact of PVD on the seepage flow status of the landfill foundation. With the influence of the cut-off wall and the PVD on the infiltration of groundwater, the total inflow was classified into two parts： the lateral inflow through the cut-off wall outside the landfill, and the upward infiltration through the PVD from the foundation of the landfill. Seepage analysis was conducted using the finite element method according to the actual scenario of Laogang Landfill, and the lateral infiltration and the upward infiltration were calculated, respectively. The results show that the total inflow into the landfill area was mostly supplied by the upward infiltration through the PVD and the perimeter cut-off wall was significantly effective to depressurize the seepage pressure and to reduce the flow rate.