Deformation of a soft estuarine deposit under a geotextile reinforced embankment

2007 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 603-617 ◽  
Author(s):  
Curtis Kelln ◽  
Jitendra Sharma ◽  
David Hughes ◽  
Gabriel Gallagher
Keyword(s):  
Case History ◽  
General Framework ◽  
Deformation Behaviour ◽  
Soft Clay ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Monitoring Data ◽  
Soft Soils ◽  
Prefabricated Vertical Drains ◽  
Vertical Drains ◽  
History Of

This paper presents a case history of a geotextile reinforced highway embankment constructed on a soft estuarine deposit installed with prefabricated vertical drains. The case history documents the geotechnical site characterization, embankment construction, and monitoring program. The loading response of the soft estuarine soil was monitored during construction using hydrostatic profile gauges, settlement plates, pneumatic piezometers, and slope inclinometers. Settlements of up to 1.3 m were measured under the 4 m high embankment. The deformation behaviour was interpreted qualitatively from the monitoring data using the general framework of elastic-plastic soil models. The effectiveness of the monitoring program is also briefly discussed. The paper provides performance details that make this case history useful to researchers studying the loading response of soft soils under a geotextile reinforced embankment.Key words: case history, embankment, soft clay, vertical drainage, reinforcement.

Characterization of a smear zone around vertical drains by large-scale laboratory tests

2000 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 1265-1271 ◽  
Author(s):  
J S Sharma ◽  
D Xiao
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Soft Clay ◽  
Excess Pore Pressure ◽  
Laboratory Model ◽  
Clay Layer ◽  
Prefabricated Vertical Drains ◽  
Vertical Drains ◽  
Undisturbed Samples ◽  
Oedometer Tests ◽  
Excess Pore

Installation of prefabricated vertical drains using a mandrel causes disturbance of clay surrounding the drain, resulting in a "smear" zone of reduced permeability. In this paper, an attempt is made to characterize the smear zone using large-scale laboratory model tests. Two tests, simulating the cases of "no smear" and "with smear," were conducted. Excess pore-water pressures were monitored at seven different locations along the radial direction. In addition, undisturbed samples were collected at various locations in the clay layer for conducting oedometer tests. The distribution of excess pore pressure due to drain installation gave a clear indication of the extent of the smear zone. The effect of reconsolidation on the properties of clay was found to be much greater than that of the remoulding of the clay. The extent of the smear zone was also confirmed from the change in permeability of the clay layer in the smear zone obtained from oedometer tests. The radius of the smear zone is about four times that of the mandrel, and the horizontal permeability of the clay layer in the smear zone is approximately 1.3 times smaller than that in the intact zone.Key words: consolidation, permeability, smear zone, soft clay, vertical drains.

Comparison of the Effect of Soil Treatment Methods Used in Highway Widening Projects

2013 ◽  
Vol 663 ◽  
pp. 3-7
Author(s):  
Min Zhao ◽  
Wei Ping Cao ◽  
Qi Chao Shi
Keyword(s):  
Rapid Development ◽  
Heavy Traffic ◽  
Soft Soil ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Stone Columns ◽  
Engineering Practice ◽  
Soft Soils ◽  
Prefabricated Vertical Drains ◽  
Vertical Drains ◽  
Effective Choice

The rapid development of China’s economics makes it urgent to widen the existing highways especially those located in the south-eastern coastal areas over thick soft soils. Adding a new embankment adjacent to the existing highway embankment is a cost effective choice compared with the traditional methods to build another new one and can reduce the heavy traffic pressure. However, it may also cause some engineering problems including the excessive settlements settlements, road cracks, excessive tensile stresses on the pavement even local or global instability of embankments. So some proper measures should be taken to solve the problems caused by widening is of great importance in engineering practice. A numerical analysis was performed to investigate the effect of different kinds of soft soil treatments including rigid piles, stone columns and prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs) usually used in highway widening projects located in the thick soft soils. It was found that the rigid piles can effectively reduce the additional settlements of the existing embankment induced by widening as well as the settlements of the widened embankment. While the stone columns and PVDs play little role in controlling the additional settlements caused by widening.

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