Large-strain consolidation analysis of PVD-installed soft soil considering the discharge capacity variation according to depth and time

Abstract

PurposeThe consolidation behavior of prefabricated vertical drain (PVD)-installed soft deposits mainly depends on the PVD performance. The purpose of this study is to propose a numerical solution for the consolidation of PVD-installed soft soil using the large-strain theory, in which the reduction of discharge capacity of PVD according to depth and time is simultaneously considered.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed solution also takes into account the general constitute relationship of soft soil. Subsequently, the proposed solution is applied to analyze and compare with the monitoring data of two cases, one is the experimental test and another is the test embankment in Saga airport.FindingsThe results show that the reduction of PVD discharge capacity according to depth and time increased the duration required to achieve a certain degree of consolidation. The consolidation rate is more sensitive to the reduction of PVD discharge capacity according to time than that according to the depth. The effects of the reduction of PVD discharge capacity according to depth are more evident when PVD discharge capacity decreases. The predicted results using the proposed numerical solution were validated well with the monitoring data for both cases in verification.Research limitations/implicationsIn this study, the variation of PVD discharge capacity is only considered in one-dimensional consolidation. However, it is challenging to implement a general expression for discharge capacity variation according to time in the two-dimensional numerical solution (two-dimensional plane strain model). This is the motivation for further study.Practical implicationsA geotechnical engineer could use the proposed numerical solution to predict the consolidation behavior of the drainage-improved soft deposit considering the PVD discharge capacity variation.Originality/valueThe large-strain consolidation of PVD-installed soft deposits could be predicted well by using the proposed numerical solution considering the PVD discharge capacity variations according to depth and time.