PVD improvement combined with surcharge and vacuum preloading including simulations

This paper presents the study of PVD improved reconstituted specimen with and without vacuum preloading on large-scale consolidometer in the laboratory tests. Subsequently, the results of the laboratory tests were analyzed and simulated by 2D (axisymmetric) finite element method (FEM) to back-analyze and confirm the related design parameters which were used further in subsequent numerical experiments. The laboratory test results indicated that the increased hydraulic conductivity in the smear zone of PVD with vacuum preloading (Vacuum-PVD) resulted in the increase in the coefficient of horizontal consolidation (Ch) by 16% as well as the decrease in the ratio between the horizontal hydraulic conductivity of the undisturbed zone (Kh) to the horizontal hydraulic conductivity in the smear zone (Ks) or (Kh/Ks) of about 10%. The Vacuum-PVD and PVD only have the same settlement magnitudes with similar equivalent loads.