Laboratory Test and Field Study of Soft Ground Improvement Effect by Using Various PVDs

The advantages of prefabricated vertical drains over conventional sand drains include their relatively low costs, less disturbance to the soil mass, the easinees of installation, and their flexibility which ensures the integrity of the drains during installation. This study tested the change of discharge capacities with respect to the hydraulic gradients for each lateral pressure. From the test results, as increases the overburden pressure, the clay soil is being consolidated, and also lateral pressure to the PVD specimen is increased. Therefore, the discharge capacity is decreased. The size of opening space in the core of PVDs is proportionally related to the discharge capacity. The numerical analysis was performed with utilizing computer simulation with considering field conditions. The results of numerical analysis are compared well with the field measurements.