Numerical modelling of a test embankment on soft clay improved with vertical drains

2008 ◽  
pp. 173-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Stapelfeldt ◽  
P Vepsäläinen ◽  
Z Yin
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Modelling ◽  
Soft Clay ◽  
Vertical Drains ◽  
Test Embankment

scholarly journals Prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs) in soft Bangkok clay: a case study of the new Bangkok International Airport project

2002 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 304-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennes T Bergado ◽  
A S Balasubramaniam ◽  
R Jonathan Fannin ◽  
Robert D Holtz
Keyword(s):  
Soft Clay ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Maximum Height ◽  
Vertical Movements ◽  
Prefabricated Vertical Drains ◽  
Vertical Drains ◽  
International Airport ◽  
Prefabricated Vertical Drain ◽  
Test Embankment

This paper presents the performance of a full-scale test embankment constructed on soft Bangkok clay with prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs) at the site of the new Bangkok International Airport in Thailand. The embankment was square in plan with a maximum height of 4.2 m, 3H:1V side slopes, and base dimensions of 40 m by 40 m. The piezometric level with depth is characterized by negative drawdown starting at around 8-10 m depth caused by excessive withdrawal of groundwater. Instrumentation was provided to monitor both horizontal and vertical movements of the test embankment. The measured increases in undrained shear strengths with depth are in agreement with the values calculated from the SHANSEP technique. The secondary compression ratio, Cα, was 0.018, or within the normal values for marine clays. The coefficient of horizontal consolidation measured in the field, Ch(field), was higher for soil at 4 and 10 m depths than for the weakest soil at 6 m depth. The back-calculated Ch(field) values range from 3 to 8 m2/year, and the ratio of Ch(field) to Ch(lab) ranges from 4 to 5, where Ch(lab) is the coefficient of horizontal consolidation measured in the laboratory. The degree of consolidation estimated from the pore-pressure dissipation measurements agreed with those obtained from settlement measurements. The water-content reductions from field measurements were also in good agreement with the values computed from the consolidation settlements. The full-scale study confirmed that the magnitudes of consolidation settlements increased with the corresponding decrease of PVD spacing at a particular time period. Lastly, the results of the full-scale study have proven the effectiveness of PVDs for the improvement of soft Bangkok clay.Key words: soft clay, consolidation, prefabricated vertical drain, preloading, test embankment.

Deformability and consolidation characteristics of soft Bangkok clay using screw plate tests

1990 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 531-545 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. T. Bergado ◽  
K. C. Chong ◽  
P. A. M. Daria ◽  
M. C. Alfaro
Keyword(s):  
Graphical Method ◽  
Soft Clay ◽  
Stress Path ◽  
Soil Parameters ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Coefficient Of Consolidation ◽  
Plate Test ◽  
Settlement Time ◽  
Oedometer Tests ◽  
Test Embankment

This study centred on the performance of the screw plate test (SPLT) to determine the deformability and consolidation characteristics of soft Bangkok clay. For comparison, a series of stress-path-controlled triaxial consolidation tests (tri) were carried out on good quality samples of Bangkok clay taken from the same testing sites and imposed with the same loading conditions as the screw plate tests. Undrained and drained moduli and coefficients of consolidation were obtained from the stress-path-controlled triaxial consolidation tests and were compared with the corresponding values of the screw plate test. In addition, the ultimate bearing capacity was derived from the pressure–deformation relationships of the screw plate test results. A graphical method was used to compute the coefficient of consolidation from the screw plate tests and from stress-path-controlled triaxial consolidation test results. The compressibility data were also obtained from conventional oedometer tests (oed). Both cv (SPLT)/cv (tri) and cv (SPLT)/cv(oed) ratios compared favorably with the cv (field)/cv (laboratory) ratio obtained from past investigations. The data from pressure–settlement–time relationships of the screw plate tests were used to successfully predict values that compared favorably with the measured values at each stress level. The pressure–deformation–time relationship from stress-path-controlled triaxial consolidation tests were also evaluated, and they indicated behaviour similar to that of the screw plate test results. Soil parameters obtained from screw plate tests were subsequently used to predict the settlement of two test embankments, giving fairly close agreement with the observed values. Key words: soft clay, settlement, deformation, consolidation, screw plate test, triaxial test, embankment, prediction, stress path.

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.

Numerical modelling of stone columns in soft clay under an embankment

2008 ◽  
pp. 305-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Gäb ◽  
H Schweiger ◽  
V Racansky ◽  
T Weber ◽  
S Springman
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Modelling ◽  
Soft Clay ◽  
Stone Columns
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