Three-dimensional consolidation of clay ground improved by vertical drain

摘要

A new consolidation test apparatus was developed in order to establish a precise method for predicting the residual settlement including the secondary consolidation of clay ground improved by a vertical drain system. In this apparatus, the horizontal distributions of the strain and the excess pore water pressure in the specimen during the three-dimensional consolidation process can be measured. And a full detail of consolidation behavior of clay ground improved by vertical drains was investigated in this study. From the results obtained by this test apparatus, it was found that not only the vertical displacement but also the horizontal displacement developed in the specimen during the consolidation process by the vertical drain method. In order to predict this three-dimensional consolidation behavior, one-dimensional consolidation theory based on an elasto-viscous liquid model proposed by Yoshikuni et al. (1994) was extended to the three-dimensional condition. This theory was applied to the consolidation of a hollow cylindrical body that was modeled clay ground improved by a vertical drain system.