Performance Evaluation of an Embankment on Soft Soil Improved by Deep Mixed Columns and Prefabricated Vertical Drains
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 27, Issue 5
Abstract
A combined ground-improvement method has recently been adopted for embankments on soft soil that involves the use of both deep mixed (DM) columns and prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs) to increase the bearing capacity and accelerate the consolidation of the soft soil. A well-instrumented embankment was constructed in a field using this ground-improvement method to verify its performance. Three- (3D) and two-dimensional (2D) finite-element analyses were conducted to evaluate the performance of an embankment constructed over soft soil improved by the DM columns and PVDs. In the 2D analysis, a plane-strain conversion method was used to simulate the 3D condition. The finite-element software ABAQUS was used for these analyses. The computed settlements, excess pore-water pressure, load transfer from the surrounding soil to the columns, and lateral displacements in both analyses are compared with the field data, and good agreement was found between the computed and measured data. The field and numerical results show that the DM columns enhanced the stability of the embankment over soft soil, whereas the PVDs accelerated consolidation of the soft soil.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The authors appreciate the financial support provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC; No. 50678130), the National High-Tech Research and Development Program of China (863 Program; No. 2007AA11Z117), and the Program of Shanghai Leading Academic Discipline (B308) for this work.
References
Asaoka, A. (1978). “Observational procedure for settlement prediction.” Soils Found., 18(4), 87–101.
Bergado, D. T., Asakami, H., Alfaro, M. C., and Balasubramaniam, A. S. (1991). “Smear effects of vertical drains on soft Bangkok clay.” J. Geotech. Engrg., 117(10), 1509–1530.
Chai, J. C., Shen, S. L., Miura, N., and Bergado, D. T. (2001). “Simple method of modelling PVD-improved subsoil.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 127(11), 965–972.
Chew, S. H., Kamruzzaman, A. H. M., and Lee, F. H. (2004). “Physicochemical and engineering behavior of cement treated clays.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 130(7), 696–706.
Fang, Z., and Yin, J. H. (2007). “Responses of excess pore water pressure in soft marine clay around a soil-cement column.” Int. J. Geomech., 7(3), 167–175.
Han, J., and Gabr, M. A. (2002). “Numerical analysis of geosynthetic-reinforced and pile-supported earth platforms over soft soil.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 128(1), 44–53.
Han, J., Oztoprak, S., Parsons, R. L., and Huang, J. (2007). “Numerical analysis of foundation columns to support widening of embankments.” Comput. Geotech., 34(6), 435–448.
Han, J., and Ye, S. L. (2001). “Simplified method of consolidation rate of stone column reinforced foundation.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 127(7), 597–603.
Han, J., Zhou, H. T., and Ye, F. (2002). “State-of-practice review of deep soil mixing techniques in China.” Transportation Research Record 1808, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC, 49–57.
Hansbo, S. (1987). “Design aspects of vertical drains and lime column installations.” Proc., 9th Southeast Asian Geotechnical Conf., Vol. 2, Southeast Asian Geotechnical Society, Bangkok, Thailand, 1–12.
Hibbitt, Karlsson, and Sorensen. (2006). ABAQUS/standard user's manual, HKS Inc., Dallas.
Hird, C. C., Pyrah, I. C., and Russel, D. (1992). “Finite element modelling of vertical drains beneath embankments on soft ground.” Geotechnique, 42(3), 499–511.
Holtz, R. D., Lancellotta, R., Jamiolkowski, M., and Pedroni, S. (1991). “Laboratory testing of prefabricated ‘wick’ drains.” Proc., Geo-Coast ’91, Yokohama, Japan, 311–316.
Huang, J., and Han, J. (2009). “3D coupled mechanical and hydraulic modeling of a geosynthetic-reinforced deep mixed column-supported embankment.” J. Geotextile Geomembr., 27(4), 272–280.
Huang, J., Han, J., and Oztoprak, S. (2009). “Coupled mechanical and hydraulic modeling of geosynthetic-reinforced column-supported embankments.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 135(8), 1011–1021.
Indraratna, B., and Redana, I. W. (1997). “Plane-strain modeling of smear effects associated with vertical drains.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 123(5), 474–478.
Indraratna, B., and Redana, I. W. (2000). “Numerical modeling of vertical drains with smear and well resistance installed in soft clay.” Can. Geotech. J., 37(1), 132–145.
Jamiolkowski, M., Lancellotta, R., and Wolski, W. (1983). “Pre-compression and speeding up consolidation, general report.” Proc., 8th European Conf. on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, Special Session 6, Balkema, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 1201–1226.
Jiang, Y., Han, J., and Zheng, G. (2013). “Numerical analysis of consolidation of soft soils fully-penetrated by deep-mixed columns.” KSCE J. Civil Eng., 17(1), 96–105.
Liu, H. L., Ng, C. W. W., and Fei, K. (2007). “Performance of a geogrid-reinforced and pile-supported highway embankment over soft clay: Case study.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 133(12), 1483–1493.
Lorenzo, G. A., and Bergado, D. T. (2003). “New consolidation equation for soil-cement pile improved ground.” Can. Geotech. J., 40(2), 265–275.
Low, B. K., Tang, S. K., and Choa, V. (1994). “Arching in piled embankments.” J. Geotech. Eng., 120(11), 1917–1938.
McNulty, J. W. (1965). “An experimental study of arching in sand.” Tech. Rep. I-674, U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg, MS, 1–170.
Miao, L. C., Wang, X. H., and Kavazanjian, E. (2008). “Consolidation of a double-layered compressible foundation partially penetrated by deep mixed columns.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 134(8), 1210–1214.
Miura, N., and Chai, J. C. (2000). “Discharge capacity of prefabricated vertical drains confined in clay.” Geosynthet. Int., 7(2), 119–135.
Porbaha, A., Shibuya, S., and Kishida, T. (2000). “State of the art in deep mixing technology. III: Geomaterial characterization.” Ground Improv., 4(3), 91–110.
Tan, S. A., Tjahyono, S., and Oo, K. K. (2008). “Simplified plane-strain modeling of stone-column reinforced ground.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 134(2), 185–194.
Terzaghi, K. (1943). Theoretical soil mechanics, Wiley, New York, 66–75.
Xu, C., Ye, G.-B., Jiang, Z.-S., and Zhou, Q.-Z. (2006). “Research on mechanism of combined improvement of soft soils based on field monitoring.” Chin. J. Geotech. Eng., 28(7), 918–921 (in Chinese).
Ye, G.-B., Chen, J., Xing, H.-F., and Huang, M.-S. (2010). “In-situ tests on consolidation of composite foundation composed of short cement-soil piles and long plastic drainage plates.” J. Tongji Univ., 38(12), 1725–1729 (in Chinese).
Ye, G.-B., Liao, X.-Y., Gao, Y.-B., and Xu, C. (2008). “Numerical analysis of improved deep soft foundation for highways by use of D-M method.” Chin. J. Geotech. Eng., 30(2), 232–236 (in Chinese).
Zhang, D.-W., Liu, S.-Y., and Hong, Z.-S. (2006). “Consolidation calculation method of soft ground improved by DJM-PVD combined method.” Proc., GeoShanghai Conf., Geotechnical Special Publication 152, ASCE, Reston, VA, 29–36.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 27 • Issue 5 • October 2013
Pages: 614 - 623
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 6, 2012
Accepted: May 16, 2012
Published online: May 18, 2012
Published in print: Oct 1, 2013
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.