Semianalytical Solution for Consolidation of Reclaimed Land with Horizontal Drains
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 23, Issue 4
Abstract
In land reclamation projects, the scheme of dredged clays with a multiplicity of horizontal drains is often adopted to shorten the vertical drainage path for seepage flow of pore water, but studies of consolidation theory on layered clay–sand reclamation are relatively inadequate. In this investigation, a novel semianalytical solution is obtained, applying the boundary transform technique based on the plane-strain consolidation theory. The correctness of the presented solution is investigated by comparing against results obtained from finite-element analyses and field tests. Subsequently, a detailed parametric analysis is conducted to explain how the consolidation efficiency is affected by geometric and physical parameters of soft soils and horizontal drains. It is revealed that the rate of consolidation increases with the horizontal permeability of dredged clay but decreases with the width of reclaimed land. For the effect of horizontal drains, the consolidation efficiency increases with the thickness, horizontal permeability coefficient, and layout number. Moreover, the optimal design method of layered horizontal drains is described in detail, and a figure considering the optimal thickness, layout number, and position of horizontal drains is provided as theoretical guidance for use in design.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the Scientific Research Foundation of Hainan University (KYQD(ZR)-21067 and RZ2200001147), the Research Fund for Innovation Platform of Hainan Academician (YSPTZX202106), Major Science and Technology Projects of Hainan Province, China (ZDKJ2021023), Special Projects in Key Fields of Guangdong Universities (2021ZDZX4074), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51878185).
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Published In
International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 23 • Issue 4 • April 2023
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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Received: Apr 11, 2022
Accepted: Nov 12, 2022
Published online: Jan 19, 2023
Published in print: Apr 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Jun 19, 2023
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