Thermal prefabricated vertical drain for vacuum consolidation of Hong Kong marine deposits with temperature changes

Abstract

The consolidation of marine deposits for marine infrastructure, dredged mud disposal, as well as new reclamation, is a time-consuming process due to the low permeability of the soft marine clay. In vacuum preloading, the discharge efficiency of prefabricated vertical drains (PVD) significantly decreases with bending and clogging as soils consolidate. In this study, a physical model test was carried out for vacuum preloading on Hong Kong marine deposit (HKMD) slurry with a heating aided PVD for stepwise heating. The temperature distribution and evolution in the model, the water discharge volume of the slurry, and the response of water discharge rate to temperature change at different stages of consolidation are analyzed and discussed.