What is a vertical drain system?

A vertical drain is a well, pipe, pit, or bore in porous underground strata into which drainage water can be discharged. PRACTICE INFORMATION. The purpose of a vertical drain is to provide an outlet for drainage water from a surface or subsurface drainage system.

What are the properties of prefabricated vertical drains?

The major properties of vertical drains that need to be specified are:

  • The discharge capacity of the drain, qw, and its variation with stress applied in the lateral direction, time, and hydraulic gradient.
  • The apparent pore opening (AOP) of the filter and the permeability of the filter.

Why are wick drains used?

Wick drains, also known as Prefabricated Vertical Drains (PVD) are prefabricated geotextile filter-wrapped plastic strips with moulded channels. These act as drainage paths to take pore water out of soft compressible soil so it consolidates faster, often from decades to months.

What is a drainage blanket?

A drainage blanket is a very permeable material used to remove water or to control groundwater seepage from cut slopes or beneath fills.

What is a vertical French drain?

A vertical french drain is the same as a normal french drain except it is built vertically into the ground instead of horizontally across the yard.

What is PVD in geosynthetics?

Prefabricated Vertical Drains (PVDs) or ‘Wick Drains’ are composed of a plastic core encased by a geotextile for the purpose of expediting consolidation of slow draining soils. They are typically coupled with surcharging to expedite preconstruction soil consolidation.

How can I speed up my soil settlement?

To accelerate the settlement process, dredging contractors have developed specialised ways of consolidating soft soils and subsoils. In addition, newly reclaimed soil is often in a loose state and may not meet the demands of the planned infrastructure and therefore needs to be improved.