Investigation on effectiveness of a prefabricated vertical drain during cyclic loading

The effectiveness of prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs) in enhancing the stability of soft soils during cyclic loading was investigated using triaxial cyclic loading tests. Both undrained and with PVD tests were employed to study the associated excess pore pressure and accumulated strain under the repeated loading condition. The loading frequency and cyclic stress ratio have been chosen to be the variables which influence the performance of soft clays. The experimental results illustrate that with PVDs, the excess pore water pressure generation during cyclic loading decreases significantly. It is found that the excess pore water pressure build up depends on both loading frequency and cyclic stress ratio. The excess pore water pressure will increase when each of them is increased. Furthermore, when the loading frequency is 0.1 Hz, the ratio of coefficient of consolidation under cyclic loading to that under static loading is almost one. With the increasing loading frequency, this ratio increases accordingly.