2010

Soft soils improved by prefabricated

vertical drains:
performance and prediction
Buddhima Indraratna
University of Wollongong, [email protected]

Cholachat Rujikiatkamjorn
University of Wollongong, [email protected]

V Wijeyakulasuriya

G McIntosh R Kelly

http://ro.uow.edu.au/engpapers/

870
Publication Details
Indraratna, B, Rujikiatkamjorn, C, Wijeyakulasuriya, V, McIntosh, G & Kelly, R, Soft soils improved by prefabricated
vertical drains: performance and prediction, In Almeida, M (ed), Symposium on New Techniques for Design and
Construction in Soft Clays, 2010, 227-246, Brazil: Officna de Textos.

Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW
Library:
[email protected]
 Soft soils improved by prefabricated vertical
drains: performance and prediction
Indraratna, B. and Rujikiatkamjorn, C.
School of Civil, Mining and Environmental engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of
Wollongong, Wollongong City, Australia

Wijeyakulasuriya, V.
Queensland Department. of Main Roads, Brisbane, Australia

McIntosh, G.
Douglas Partners Pty Ltd, Unanderra, NSW Australia

Kelly, R.
Coffey Geotechnics, Sydney, Australia.

KEYWORDS Analytical model, Cyclic loading, Numerical model, Soft soils, Vacuum
preloading, Vertical drains
ABSTRACT The use of prefabricated vertical drains with preloading is now common practice
and is proving to be one of the most effective ground improvement techniques known.
The factors affecting its performance, such as the smear zone, the drain influence zone,
and drain unsaturation, are discussed in this paper. In order to evaluate these effects a
large scale consolidation test was conducted and it was found that the proposed Cavity
Expansion Theory could be used to predict the characteristics of the smear zone based on
the soil properties available. Moreover, the procedure for converting an equivalent 2-D
plane strain multi-drain analysis that considers the smear zone and vacuum pressure are
also described. The conversion procedure was incorporated into finite element codes
using a modified Cam-clay theory. Numerical analysis was conducted to predict excess
pore pressure and lateral and vertical displacement. Three case histories are analysed and
discussed, including the sites of Muar clay (Malaysia), the Second Bangkok International
Airport (Thailand), and the Sandgate railway line (Australia). The predictions were then
compared with the available field data, and they include settlement, excess pore pressure,
and lateral displacement. The findings verified that smear and well resistance can
significantly affect soil consolidation, which means that these aspects must be simulated
appropriately to reliably predict consolidation using a selected numerical approach.
Further findings verified that smear, drain unsaturation, and vacuum distribution can
significantly influence consolidation so they must be modeled appropriately in any
numerical analysis to obtain reliable predictions.

1 INTRODUCTION
Preloading of soft clay with vertical drains is one of the most popular
methods used to increase the shear strength of soft soil and control its post-
construction settlement. Since the permeability of soils is very low,
consolidation time to the achieved desired settlement or shear strength may
take too long (Holtz, 1987; Indraratna et al., 1994). Using prefabricated
vertical drains (PVDs), means that the drainage path is shortened from the
thickness of the soil layer to the radius of the drain influence zone, which
accelerates consolidation (Hansbo, 1981). This system has been used to
improve the properties of foundation soil for railway embankments, airports,
and highways (Li and Rowe, 2002).
Over the past three decades the performance of various types of vertical
drains, including sand drains, sand compaction piles, prefabricated vertical
drains (geosynthetic) and gravel piles, have been studied. Kjellman (1948)
introduced prefabricated band shaped drains and cardboard wick drains for
ground improvement. Typically, prefabricated band drains consist of a plastic
core with a longitudinal channel surrounded by a filter jacket to prevent
clogging. Most vertical drains are approximately 100 mm wide and 4 mm
thick.
To study consolidation due to PVDs, unit cell analysis with a single
drain surrounded by a soil cylinder has usually been proposed (e.g. Barron,
1948; Yoshikuni and Nakanodo, 1974). PVDs under an embankment not
only accelerate consolidation, they also influence the pattern of subsoil
deformation. At the centre line of an embankment where lateral displacement
is negligible, unit cell solutions are sufficient but elsewhere, especially
towards the embankment toe, any prediction from a single drain analysis is
not accurate enough because of lateral deformation and heave (Indraratna, et
al., 1997).
Figure 1 shows the vertical cross section of an embankment stabilised
by a vertical drain system, with the instruments required to monitor the soil
foundation. Before PVDs are installed superficial soil must be removed to
ease the installation of the horizontal drainage, the site must be graded, and
a sand platform compacted. The sand blanket drains water from the PVDs
and supports the vertical drain installation rigs.
 C
L

Inclinometer
Surface settlement plates

Sand Blanket/platform

Benchmark and
Dummy piezometer
Piezometer
Sub-surface settlement plate

FIGURE 1: Vertical drain system with preloading

Figure 2 illustrates a typical embankment subjected to vacuum

preloading (membrane system). Where a PVD system is used with vacuum
preloading, horizontal drains must be installed after a sand blanket has been
put in place (Cognon et al., 1994). The horizontal drains are connected to a
peripheral Bentonite slurry trench, which is then sealed with an impermeable
membrane and cut-off walls to prevent possible vacuum loss at the
embankment edges. The vacuum pumps are connected to the discharge
module extending from the trenches. The vacuum generated by the pump
increases the hydraulic gradient towards the drain which accelerates the
dissipation of excess pore water pressure.

CL

Vacuum Pump Membrane

Sand layer
Peripheral
Trench

Impervious
Cut-off Wall PVDs
 FIGURE 2: Vacuum preloading system

2 VERTICAL DRAIN CHARACTERISTICS

2.1 Equivalent drain diameter and drain influence zone

As shown in Fig. 3, PVDs with a rectangular cross section are usually
installed in a triangular or square pattern. Their shapes are not the same as
the circular cross section considered in the unit cell theory so a PVD with a
polygon influence zone must be transformed into a cylindrical drain with a
circular influence zone (Fig. 4). The approximate equations proposed for the
equivalent drain diameter are based on various hypotheses, hence the
different results. The formulations for an equivalent cylindrical drain
conversion available from previous studies are highlighted below:

w
(Hansbo, 1979) (1) d =

dw = (w+t)/2 (Atkinson and Eldred, 1981) (2)

dw = 0.5w+ 0.7t (Long and Covo, 1994) (3)

2(w+t)/π

where dw = equivalent PVDs diameter and w and t = width and thickness

of the PVD, respectively.

 (a) (b)

FIGURE 3: Drain installation pattern (a) square pattern; (b) triangular pattern
S
PVD

PVD

S
S

(a) (b)

FIGURE 4: Vertical drain and its dewatered soil zone (a) unit cell with square grid installation and
(b) unit cell with triangular grid installation

2.2 Smear zone

The smear zone is the disturbance that occurs when a vertical drain is
installed using a replacement technique. Because the surrounding soil is
compressed during installation there is a substantial reduction in permeability
around the drain, which retards the rate of consolidation. In this section the
Elliptical Cavity Expansion Theory was used to estimate the extent of the
smear zone (Ghandeharioon et al. 2009; Sathananthan et al. 2008). This
prediction was then compared with laboratory results based on permeability
and variations in the water content. The detailed theoretical developments are
explained elsewhere by Cao et al. (2001) and Ghandeharioon et al. (2009),
so only a brief summary is given below. The yielding criterion for soil
obeying the MCC model is:

⎛ ' p' ⎞
η=Μ ⎜pc ⎟−1 (4)
⎝ ⎠

where p’c = the stress representing the reference size of yield locus, p’= mean
effective stress, M = slope of the critical state line and η = stress ratio. Stress
ratio at any point can be determined as follows:

(a )
2 2
−a0
2 ⎟ + ν ) κ κ Λ
ln⎜⎝⎛1− ⎟⎞ =− 3 23(1(1 − 2 ν)υ η − 2 3 υ Μ f (Μ,η,OCR) (5)
⎜
r ⎠
Μ+η) 1−
f (Μ,η,OCR)= 1 ln⎢⎡( ( )
OCR −1 ⎤⎥ − tan−1⎛⎜ η⎞⎟+ tan−1( OCR −1) (6)
)
2 ⎢⎣(Μ−η (1+ OCR −1)⎥⎦ ⎝Μ⎠
In the above expression, a = radius of the cavity, a0 = initial radius of the
cavity, ν = Poisson’s ratio, κ = slope of the over consolidation line, υ =
specific volume, OCR = over consolidation ratio and λ is the slope of the
normal consolidation line).
Fig. 7 shows the variation of the permeability ratio (kh/kv), obtained from
large scale laboratory consolidation and predicted plastic shear strain along
the radius. Here the radius of the smear zone was approximately 2.5 times the
radius of the mandrel, which agreed with the prediction using the cavity
expansion theory.
 FIGURE 5: Variations in the ratio of the horizontal coefficient of permeability to the vertical
coefficient of permeability and the plastic shear strain in radial direction (adopted from
Ghandeharioon et al. 2009),

2.3 Drain unsaturation

Due to an air gap from withdrawing the mandrel, and dry PVDs, unsaturated
soil adjacent to the drain can occur. The apparent delay in pore pressure
dissipation and consolidation can be observed during the initial stage of
loading (Indraratna et al., 2004). Figure 6 shows how the top of the drain takes
longer to become saturated than the bottom. Figure 6 illustrates the change in
degree of saturation with the depth of the drain. Even for a drain as short as 1
metre, the time lag for complete drain saturation can be significant.

FIGURE 6: Degree of drain saturation with time (after Indraratna et al. 2004)
3 EQUIVALENT PLANE STRAIN FOR MULTI-DRAIN ANALYSIS
In order to reduce the calculation time, most available finite element analyses
on embankments stabilised by PVDs are based on a plane strain condition. To
obtain a realistic 2-D finite element analysis for vertical drains, the
equivalence between a plane strain condition and an in-situ axisymmetric
analysis needs to be established. Indraratna and Redana (2000); Indraratna et
al. (2005) converted the unit cell of a vertical drain shown in Figure 7 into an
equivalent parallel drain well by determining the coefficient of permeability
of the soil.
By assuming that the diameter of the zone of influence and the width of
the unit cell in a plane strain to be the same, Indraratna and Redana (2000)
presented a relationship between khp and k’hp, as follows:

⎡ k ⎤
k h ⎢αβ+ + θ 2 lz − z ⎥
⎣ ′
k hp ⎦
k hp =
⎡ ⎛ n ⎞ ⎛ kh ⎞ 2 kh ⎤
⎜ ⎟
⎢ s ⎜k ⎟
ln + ln ()
s − 075
. +π( 2 lz − z ) qw ⎥
⎣ ⎝ ⎠ ⎝ h′ ⎠ ⎦ (
) hp ( )( 2 )
In Equation (7), if well resistance is neglected, the smear effect can be
determined by the ratio of the smear zone permeability to the undisturbed
permeability, as follows:

khp′ β
= (8) khp khp ⎡ ⎛n⎞ ⎛kh ⎞ ⎤
⎢ln⎜ ⎟+⎜ ⎟ln( )s −0.75⎥−α kh ⎣ ⎝
s⎠ ⎝kh′ ⎠ ⎦

2 2bs ⎛ bs bs2 ⎞
+
α= − ⎜1− 2 ⎟ (8a)
3 B⎝ B 3B ⎠
 1 2 bs 2 2

β= 2 (b b − ) +
s w 3 (3b w −bs ) (8b)
B 3B

2khp2 ⎛ bw ⎞
θ= ⎜1− ⎟ (8c) k q Bhp z′ ⎝ B ⎠

where khp and k’hp are the undisturbed horizontal and the corresponding smear
zone equivalent permeability, respectively.
The simplified ratio of plane strain to axisymmetric permeability by Hird
et al. (1992) is readily obtained when the effect of smear and well resistance
are ignored in the above expression, as follows:

khp 067.
= (9)
kh [ln( )n −075. ]
The well resistance is derived independently and yields an equivalent
plane strain discharge capacity of drains, which can be determined from the
following equation:

2
qz = qw (10)
πB
With vacuum preloading, the equivalent vacuum pressures in plane
strain and axisymmetric are the same.
FIGURE 7: Conversion of an axisymmetric unit cell into plane strain condition (after Indraratna and
Redana 2000)

4 APPLICATION TO CASE HISTORIES

4.1 Muar clay embankment

One of the test embankments on Muar plain was constructed to failure.
The failure was due to a “quasi slip circle” type of rotational failure at a
critical embankment height at 5.5 m, with a tension crack propagating through
the crust and the fill layer (Fig. 8). Indraratna et al. (1992) analysed the
performance of the embankment using a finite element Plane strain finite
element analysis employing two distinct constitutive soil models, namely, the
Modified Cam-clay theory using the finite element program CRISP (Woods,
1992) and the hyperbolic stress-strain behaviour using the finite element code
ISBILD (Ozawa and Duncan, 1973). Two modes of analysis were used,
undrained and coupled consolidation. Undrained analysis was used when the
loading rate was much faster than the dissipation rate of excess pore pressure.
This will cause excess pore pressure to build up during loading but will not
alter the volume. While excess pore pressure is generated simultaneously with
drainage, a positive or negative change in volume is allowed for coupled
consolidation analysis,
FIGURE 8: Failure mode of embankment and foundation (modified after Brand & Premchitt, 1989)

The essential soil parameters used for the Modified Cam-clay model are
summarised in Table 1 and a summary of soil parameters for undrained and
drained analyses by ISBILD is tabulated in Table 2. Because properties of a
topmost crust were not available it was assumed that the soil properties were
similar to the layer immediately below. The properties of the embankment
surcharge (E = 5100 kPa, ν = 0.3 and γ = 20.5 kN/m3), and related shear
strength parameters (c’ = 19 kPa and φ’ = 260), were obtained from drained
tri-axial tests.

TABLE 1: SOIL PARAMETERS USED IN THE MODIFIED CAM-CLAY MODEL (CRISP) (SOURCE:
INDRARATNA ET
AL.,1992)

Depth κ λ M ecs Kw γ kh kv
(m) × 104 (kN/m ) 3 × 10-9 × 10-9
(cm2/s) (m/s) (m/s)
0-2.0 0.05 0.13 1.19 3.07 4.4 16.5 1.5 0.8
2.0-8.5 0.05 0.13 1.19 3.07 1.1 15.5 1.5 0.8
8.5-18 0.08 0.11 1.07 1.61 22.7 15.5 1.1 0.6
18-22 0.10 0.10 1.04 1.55 26.6 16.1 1.1 0.6

TABLE 2: SOIL PARAMETERS FOR HYPERBOLIC STRESS STRAIN MODEL ISBILD (SOURCE:
INDRARATNA ET
AL.,1992)

Depth (m) K cu Kur c’ (kPa) φ’ (degree) γ (kN/m3)

(kPa)
0-2.5 350 15.4 438 8 6.5 16.5
2.5-8.5 280 13.4 350 22 13.5 15.5
8.5-18.5 354 19.5 443 16 17.0 15.5
 18.5-22.5 401 25.9 502 14 21.5 16.0
Note: K and Kur are the modulus number and unloading-reloading
modulus number used to evaluate the compression and recompression of the
soil, respectively.
The finite element discretisation is shown by Fig. 9. The embankment
was constructed at a rate of 0.4 m/ week. Instruments such as inclinometers,
piezometers, and settlement plates were installed at this site (Fig. 10).
CL

FIGURE 9: Finite element discretisation of embankment and subsoils (modified after Indraratna et
al., 1992)

FIGURE 10: Cross section of Muar test embankment indicating key instruments (modified after
Ratnayake, 1991)

The yielding zones and potential failure surface observed were based on
the yielded zone boundaries and maximum displacement vectors obtained
 from CRISP. Figures 11 and 12 show the shear band predicted, based on the
maximum incremental displacement and the boundaries of yielded zone
approaching the critical state, respectively. The yielded zone was near the
very bottom of the soft clay layer but it eventually spread to the centre line of
the embankment, which verified that the actual failure surface was within the
predicted shear band.

FIGURE 11: Maximum incremental development of failure (modified after Indraratna et al., 1992)
CL

Actual failure Predicted shear band

5.5 m surface
0
Weathered crust
2m

Very soft silty clay

1.5
8.5 m
4.0
Soft silty clay
4.5 5.0
5.5

18.5 m
Clayey silty sand
22.5 m
0 20 m 40 m 60 m 80
80 m
m

FIGURE 12: Boundary zones approaching critical state with increasing fill thickness (CRISP)
(modified after Indraratna et al., 1992)
4.2 Second Bangkok International Airport
The Second Bangkok International Airport or Suvarnabhumi Airport is about
30km from the city of Bangkok, Thailand. Because the ground water was
almost at the surface, the soil suffered from a very high moisture content, high
compressibility and very low shear strength. The compression index
(Cc/(1+e0))varied between 0.2-0.3. The soft estuarine clays in this area often
pose problems that require ground improvement techniques before any
permanent structures can be constructed.
As reported by AIT (1995), the profile of the subsoil showed a 1 metre
thick, heavily over-consolidated crust overlying very soft estuarine clay
which was approximately 10 metres below the bottom of a layer of crust.
Approximately 10 to 21 metres beneath this crust there was a layer of stiff
clay. The ground water level varied from 0.5 to 1.5 metres below the surface.
The parameters of these layers of subsoil, based on laboratory testing, are
given in Table 3.

Table 3 Selected soil parameters in FEM analysis (Indraratna et al. 2005)

Depth kv kh ks khp ksp

(m) λ κ ν 10-9 m/s 10-9 m/s 10-9 m/s 10-9 m/s 10-9 m/s

0.0-2.0 0.3 0.03 0.30 15.1 30.1 89.8 6.8 3.45

2.0-8.5 0.7 0.08 0.30 6.4 12.7 38.0 2.9 1.46
8.5-10.5 0.5 0.05 0.25 3.0 6.0 18.0 1.4 0.69
10.5-13 0.3 0.03 0.25 1.3 2.6 7.6 0.6 0.30
13.0-15 1.2 0.10 0.25 0.3 0.6 1.8 0.1 0.07

Two embankments stabilised by vacuum combined with surcharge

loading (TV2) and surcharge loading alone (TS1) are described in this
section. The performances of embankments TV2 and TS1 were reported by
Indraratna and Redana (2000), and Indraratna et al. (2005), respectively. The
vertical cross section of Embankment TS1 is shown in Fig. 13. TS1 was
constructed in multi-stages, with 12m long PVDs @ 1.5m in a square pattern.
The embankment was 4.2 metres high with a 3H:1V side slope. Embankment
TV2 was stabilised with vacuum combined surcharge and 12 metre long
PVDs. A membrane system was also used on this site.
 FIGURE 13: Cross section at embankment TS1 (After Indraratna and Redana, 2000)

Both embankments were analysed using the finite element software

ABAQUS. The equivalent plane strain model (Eqs. 7-10) and modified Cam-
clay theory were incorporated into this analysis. The comparisons of the
degree of consolidation based on settlement from the FEM and field
measurement at the centre line of the embankment are presented in Fig. 14. It
can be seen that the application of vacuum pressure reduced the time from
400 to 120 days to achieve the desired degree of consolidation. Figure 15
shows the time dependent excess pore water pressure during consolidation.
The vacuum loading generated negative excess pore pressure in TV2 whereas
the surcharge fill in embankment TS1 created a positive excess pore pressure.
These predicted excess pore pressures agreed with the field measurements.
The maximum negative excess pore pressure was approximately 40 kPa,
probably caused by a puncture in the membrane and subsequent loss of air.
The total applies stresses for both embankment were very similar and
therefore yielded similar ultimate settlements (90cm). The reduction in
negative pore pressure at various times was caused by the vacuum being
lowered. Despite these problems the analysis using the proposed conversion
procedure, including the smear effects, could generally predict the field data
quite accurately.
 1m 2.5m 3m 4.2m

Field Measurement
40 FEM Prediction

80
TV2 TS1

0 200 400
Time (days)

FIGURE 14: Degree of Consolidation at the centreline for embankments (after Indraratna and
Redana, 2000 and Indraratna et al., 2005)
40

Field measurement
20 FEM Prediction

TS1
0

TV2
-20

-40
0 200 400
Time (days)

FIGURE 15: Excess pore pressure variation at 5.5m depth (after Indraratna and Redana, 2000 and
Indraratna et al., 2005)

4.3 Sandgate railway embankment

Under railway tracks where the load distribution from freight trains is
typically kept below 7-8 metres from the surface, relatively short PVDs may
still dissipate cyclic pore pressures and curtail any lateral movement of the
soft formation. It was expected that any excessive settlement of deep estuarine
deposits during the initial stage of consolidation may compensate for
continuous ballast packing. However, the settlement rate can still be
controlled by optimising the spacing and pattern of drain installation. In this
section a case history where short PVDs were installed beneath a rail track
built on soft formation is presented with the finite element analysis
(Indraratna et al. 2009). The finite element analysis used by the Authors to
design the track was a typical Class A prediction for a field observation
because it was made before it was constructed.
To improve the conditions for rail traffic entering Sandgate, Kooragang
Island, Australia, where major coal mining sites are located, two new railway
lines were needed close to the existing track. An in-situ and laboratory test
was undertaken by GHD Longmac (Chan, 2005) to obtain the essential soil
parameters. This investigation included boreholes, piezocone tests, in-situ
vane shear tests, test pits, and laboratory tests that included testing the soil
index property, standard oedometer testing, and vane shear testing.
The existing embankment fill at this site overlies soft compressible soil
from 4 to 30 metres deep over a layer of shale bedrock. The properties of this
soil, with depth, are shown in Figure 16, where the groundwater level was at
the surface. Short, 8 metre long PVDs were used to dissipate excess pore
pressure and curtail lateral displacement. There was no preloading surcharge
embankment provided due to stringent time commitments. The short PVDs
were only expected to consolidate a relatively shallow depth of soil beneath
the track where it would be affected by the train load. This initial load was
considered to be the only external surcharge. An equivalent static approach
based on the dynamic impact factor was used to simulate the field conditions,
in this instance a static load of 80kPa and an impact factor of 1.3 in
conjunction with a speed of 40 km/hr and a 25 tonne axle load. The Soft Soil
model and MohrCoulomb model incorporated into the finite element code
PLAXIS, were used in this analysis (Brinkgreve, 2002). Figure 17 illustrates
a crosssection of the rail track formation.
In the field the 8 metre long PVDs were spaced at 3 metre intervals,
based on the Authors’ analysis and recommendations. Figure 18 and 19 show
a comparison between the predicted and measured settlement at the centre
line of the rail track and lateral displacement after 180days, respectively. The
predicted settlement agreed with the field data for a Class A prediction, with
the maximum displacement being contained within the top layer of clay. The
“Class A” prediction of lateral displacement agreed with what occurred in the
field.
FIGURE 16: Soil properties at Sandgate Rail Grade Separation Project (adopted from Indraratna et
al. 2009)
20m

104 kPa @ 2.5m width (including impact factor of1.3)

Crust 1m

9m
Soft Soil 1

Soft Soil 2
10m

65m

FIGURE 17: vertical cross section of rail track foundation (after Indraratna et al. 2009)
0

0.05
Field
0.1 Prediction

0.15

0.2

0.25
0 100 200 300
Time (days)

FIGURE 18: Predicted and measured at the centre line of rail tracks (after Indraratna et al. 2009)
 FIGURE 19: Measured and predicted lateral displacement profiles near the rail embankment toe at
180 days (after Indraratna et al. 2009)

5 CONCLUSION
Various types of vertical drains have been used to accelerate the rate of
primary consolidation. A comparison between embankments stabilised with
a vacuum combined with a surcharge, and a surcharge alone, were analysed
and discussed. Consolidation time with a vacuum applied was substantially
reduced and lateral displacement curtailed, and if sufficient vacuum pressure
is sustained, the thickness of the surcharge fill required may be reduced by
several metres.
A plane strain finite element analysis with an appropriate conversion
procedure is often enough to obtain an accurate prediction for large
construction sites. An equivalent plane strain solution was used for selected
case histories to demonstrate its ability to predict realistic behaviour. There is
no doubt that a system of vacuum consolidation via PVDs is a useful and
practical approach for accelerating radial consolidation because it eliminates
the need for a large amount of good quality surcharge material, via air leak
protection in the field. Accurate modelling of vacuum preloading requires
both laboratory and field studies to quantify the nature of its distribution
within a given formation and drainage system.
 It was shown from the Sandgate case study that PVDs can decrease the
buildup of excess pore water pressure during cyclic loading from passing
trains. Moreover, during rest periods PVDs continue to simultaneously
dissipate excess pore water pressure and strengthen the track. The predictions
and field data confirmed that lateral displacement can be curtailed which
proved that PVDs can minimize the risk of undrained failure due to excess
pore pressure generated by cyclic train loads.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors appreciate the support given by the Australian Rail Track
Corporation (ARTC), and John Holland Pty Ltd. They wish to thank the CRC
for Rail Innovation (Australia) for its continuous support. The embankment
data provided by the Asian Institute of Technology are appreciated. A number
of other current and past doctoral students, namely, Mr. Somalingam
Balachandran, Ms. Pushpachandra Ratnayake, Dr. I Wayan Redana, Dr.
Chamari Bamunawita, Dr. Iyathurai Sathananthan, Dr. Rohan Walker, and
Mr. Ali Ghandeharioon also contributed to the contents of this keynote paper.
More elaborate details of the contents discussed in this paper can be found in
previous publications of the first author and his research students in
Geotechnique,
ASCE, Canadian Geotechnical Journals, since mid 1990’s and Dr.
Rujikiatkamjorn PhD thesis for the work related to Bangkok case histories.

REFERENCES
AIT. (1995). The Full Scale Field Test of Prefabricated Vertical Drains for
The Second Bangkok International Airport (SBIA). AIT,Bangkok,
Thailand.
Atkinson, M.S. and Eldred, P. (1981). Consolidation of soil using vertical
drains. Geotechnique, 31(1), 33-43.
Barron, R.A. (1948). Consolidation of fine-grained soils by drain wells.
Transactions ASCE, Vol. 113, pp. 718-724.
Brand, E.W. and Premchitt, J. (1989). Moderator’s report for the predicted
performance of the Muar test embankment. Proc. International
 Symposium on Trial Embankment on Malysian Marine Clays, Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia, Vol. 2, pp. 1/32-1/49.
Brinkgreve, R.B.J. (2002). PLAXIS (Version 8) User’s Manual. Delft
University of Technology and PLAXIS B.V., Netherlands.
Cao, L. F., Teh, C. I., and Chang, M. F. (2001). Undrained Cavity Expansion
in Modified Cam Clay I: Theoretical Analysis." Geotechnique, Vol.
51(4); pp. 323-334.
Chan, K. (2005). Geotechnical information report for the Sandgate Rail Grade
Separation, Hunter Valley Region, Australia.
Cognon, J.M., Juran, I. and Thevanayagam, S. (1994). Vacuum consolidation
technology-principles and field experience. Proc. Conference on
Foundations and Embankments Deformations, College Station,
Texas, Vol. 2, pp.1237-1248.
Ghandeharioon, A., Indraratna, B., and Rujikiatkamjorn, C. (2009). Analysis
of soil disturbance associated with mandrel-driven prefabricated
vertical drains using an elliptical cavity expansion theory.
International Journal of Geomechanics, ASCE. (Accepted, August
2009).
Hansbo, S., (1979). Conslidation of clay by band-shaped prefabricated drains.
Ground Eng., 12(5), 16-25.
Hansbo, S. (1981). Consolidation of fine-grained soils by prefabricated
drains. In Proceedings of 10th International Conference on Soil
Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, Stockholm, Balkema,
Rotterdam, 3, pp. 677-682.
Hird, C.C., Pyrah, I.C., and Russell, D. (1992). Finite element modelling of
vertical drains beneath embankments on soft
ground.
Geotechnique, Vol. 42(3), pp. 499-511.
Holtz, R. D. (1987). Preloading with prefabricated vertical strip drains,
Geotextiles and Geomembranes, Vol. 6 (1–3), pp. 109–131.
Indraratna, B., and Redana, I. W. (2000). Numerical modeling of vertical
drains with smear and well resistance installed in soft clay. Canadian
Geotechnical Journal, Vol. 37, pp. 132-145.
Indraratna, B., Bamunawita, C., and Khabbaz, H. 2004. Numerical modeling
of vacuum preloading and field applications. Canadian Geotechnical
Journal, Vol. 41, pp. 1098-1110.
Indraratna, B., Balasubramaniam, A. S. and Balachandran, S. (1992).
Performance of test embankment constructed to failure on soft marine
clay. Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, ASCE, Vol. 118(1), pp.
12-33.
Indraratna, B., Balasubramaniam, A. S., and Ratnayake, P. (1994).
Performance of embankment stabilized with vertical drains on soft
clay. J. Geotech. Eng., ASCE, Vol. 120(2), pp. 257-273.
Indraratna, B., Balasubramaniam, A. S. and Sivaneswaran, N. (1997).
Analysis of settlement and lateral deformation of soft clay foundation
beneath two full-scale embankments. International Journal for
Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics, Vol. 21, pp.
599-618.
Indraratna, B., Rujikiatkamjorn C., and Sathananthan, I. (2005). Analytical
and numerical solutions for a single vertical drain including the
effects of vacuum preloading. Canadian Geotechnical Journal,
Vol.42, pp. 994-1014
Indraratna, B., Rujikiatkamjorn, C. Adams, M., and Ewers, B., (2009). Class
A prediction of the behaviour of soft estuarine soil foundation
stabilised by short vertical drains beneath a rail track. International
Journal of Geotechnical and Geo-environmental Engineering, ASCE
(Accepted October 2009).
Kjellman, W. (1948). Accelerating consolidation of fine grain soils by means
of cardboard wicks. Proc. 2nd ICSMFE, Vol. 2, pp. 302-305.
Li, A. L. and Rowe, R.K. (2002). Combined effect of reinforcement and
prefabricated vertical drains on embankment performance. Canadian
Geotechnical Journal, Vol. 38, pp. 1266-1282.
Long, R. and Covo, A. (1994). Equivalent diameter of vertical drains with an
oblong cross section. Journal of Geotechnical Engineering,
Vol.20(9), 1625-1630.
Ozawa, Y. and Duncan, J.M. (1973). ISBILD: A computer program for static
analysis of static stresses and movement in embankment. University
of California, Berkeley, California.
Ratnayake, A.M.P. (1991). Performance of test embankments with and
without vertical drains at Muar flats site, Malaysia. Master Thesis,
GT90-6, Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok.
Sathananthan, I. and Indraratna, B. (2006). Laboratory Evaluation of Smear
Zone and Correlation between Permeability and Moisture Content, J.
of Geotechnical & Geoenvironmental Engineering, ASCE, Vol.
132(7), pp. 942-945.
Sathananthan, I., Indraratna, B., and Rujikiatkamjorn C., (2008). The
evaluation of smear zone extent surrounding mandrel driven vertical
drains using the cavity expansion theory. International Journal of
Geomechanics, ASCE. Vol. 8(6), 355-365.
Woods, R. (1992). SAGE CRISP technical reference manual. The CRISP
Consortium Ltd. UK.
Yoshikuni, H. and Nakanodo, H. (1974). Consolidation of fine-grained soils
by drain wells with finite permeability. Japanese Society Soil
Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, Vol. 14(2), pp. 35-46.