Secondary consolidation simulation of soft soils with vertical drains under time-dependent loading

Abstract

Preloading with vertical drains is an effective ground improvement technique used to accelerate the consolidation process. Generally, embankments are constructed over a period, by increasing the fill height with time. Hence, it is not always realistic to analyze embankments as a single ramp loading or an instantaneous loading. Although, many studies have been conducted to calculate the settlement variation under time-dependent loading, those methods are complex in practical applications and do not consider the secondary consolidation settlement which is important for very soft organic soils. In this study, the original Barron’s (1948) consolidation theory is applied to calculate the variation of settlement, pore water pressure, and degree of consolidation due to incremental step loading of embankments, constructed on compressible soft organic soil, stabilized with vertical drains (Gravel compaction piles, sand compaction piles and prefabricated vertical drains). The settlement predictions are compared with the actual settlement monitoring data obtained during the construction of road embankments and pore pressure variation is compared with the results obtained from a case study reported in the literature. The comparisons show that the results obtained from the proposed method match very well with the actual field measurements.