Preloading using fill surcharge and prefabricated vertical drains for an airport

This paper presents the field measurements and analysis of a preloading project with the installation of prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs) in Wenzhou, China. At the site, PVDs were installed to a depth of 22 m from the ground surface with a spacing of 1.5 m in a triangular pattern. The preloading fill thickness was 6 m with a unit weight of approximately 18 kN/m3. After a total elapsed time of 310 days, approximately 3 m thick fill was removed. The measured preloading settlement was approximately 1.5 m. The measurements and analytical results indicated that the soil layer with PVD improvement reached almost 100% primary consolidation when part of the fill was removed. After partial unloading, the PVD-improved zone was in an over-consolidated state. After the runway was opened for traffic, a settlement increment of approximately 7 mm was monitored over a period of 11 months. Analysis indicated that the settlement was mainly due to the consolidation of soil layers below the PVD-improved zone and post-surcharge secondary consolidation of the PVD-improved zone. The values of the parameters related to PVD improvement were back-estimated from the field measurements. These findings can be used to guide the design of PVDs improvement along the east coast of China.