NPTEL- Advanced Geotechnical Engineering

Module 5
Lecture 33
Consolidation-7
Topics

1.2 CONSOLIDATON BY SAND DRAINS

1.2.1 Sand Drains
1.2.2 Free-Strain Consolidation with no Smear
1.2.3 Equal-Strain Consolidation with no Smear

1.2 CONSOLIDATON BY SAND DRAINS

1.2.1 Sand Drains

In order to accelerate the process of consolidation settlement for the construction of some structure, the
useful technique of building sand drains can be used. Sand drains are constructed by driving down casings or
hollow mandrels into the soil. The holes are then filled with sand, after which the casings are parallel out.
When a surcharge is applied at ground surface, the pore water pressure in the clay will increase, and there
will be drainage in the vertical and horizontal directions (Figure 5.48). The horizontal drainage is induced
by the sand drains. Hence, the process of dissipation of excess pore water pressure created by the loading
(and hence the settlement) is accelerated.

Radial drainage

Figure 5.48 Sand drains

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NPTEL- Advanced Geotechnical Engineering

The basic theory of sand drains was presented by Rendulic (1935) and Barron (1948) and later summarized
by Richart (1959). In the study of sand drains, two fundamental cases arise:

1. Free-strain case: When the surcharge applied at the ground surface is of a flexible nature, there will
be equal distribution of surface load. This will result in an uneven settlement at the surface.
2. Equal-strain case: When the surcharge applied at the ground surface is rigid, the surface settlement
will be the same will be the all over. However, this will result in an unequal distribution of stress.

Another factor that must be taken into consideration is the effect of smear. A smear zone in a sand drain
is created by the remolding of clay during the drilling operation for building it. This remolding of the clay
results in a decrease of the coefficient of permeability in the horizontal direction.

The theories for free-strain and equal-strain consolidation are treated separately. In the development of these
theories, it is assumed that drainage takes place only in the radial direction, i.e., no dissipation of excess
pore water pressure in the vertical direction.

1.2.2 Free-Strain Consolidation with no Smear

Figure 5. 49 shows the general pattern of the layout of sand drains. For triangular spacing of the sand drains,
the zone of influence of each drain is hexagonal in plan. This hexagon can be approximated as an circle of
diameter . Other notations used in this section are as follows (Figure 5.49b).

1. = radius of the equivalent circle = /2.

2. = radius of the sand drain well.
3. =
radial distance from the center line of the drain well to the farthest point of the smear zone.
Note that, in the no smear case, rw = rs .

The basic differential equation of Terzaghis consolidation theory for flow in the vertical direction is given
earlier. For radial drainage, this equation can be written as

2 1
= + (139)
2

Where

= excess pore water pressure

= radial distance measured from center of drain well

= coefficient of consolidation in radial direction [equation 146 ].

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NPTEL- Advanced Geotechnical Engineering

Figure 5.49 General layout of sand drains. (a) Plan (b) Cross section at SS

For solution of equation (139), the following boundary conditions are used:

1. At time = 0, = .
2. At time > 0, = 0 > = .
3. At = , / = 0.

With the above boundary conditions, equation (139) yields the solution for excess pore water pressure at any
time t and radial distance r:

= 21 0 ( / )
= (4 2 2 )
1, 2 , [ 2 2 2 ] exp (140)
0 1

In equation (140),

= (141)

1 = 1 0 1 0 () (142)

0 = 0 0 0 0 () (143)

0 = 0 0 0 0 () (144)

Where

0 = Based function of first kind of zero order

1 = Based function of first kind of first order

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NPTEL- Advanced Geotechnical Engineering

0 = Based function of second kind of zero order

1 = Based function of second kind of zero order

1 , 2 , . = Roots of Bessel function which satisfy 1 0 1 0 = 0

Cvr t
= time factor for radial flow = (145)
d 2e

In equation (145),

= (146)

Where is the coefficient of permeability in the horizontal direction.

The average pore water pressure throughout the soil mass may now be obtained from equation (140) as
2
4 1
=
= 1, 2 , 2 2 1 [ 2 2 2 ]] (4 2 2 )
exp (147)
0 1

The average degree of consolidation can be determined as

= 1 (148)

Figure 5.50 shows the variation of with the time factor .

1.2.3 Equal-Strain Consolidation with no Smear

The problem of equal-strain consolidation with no smear ( = ) was solved by Barron (1948). The results
of the solution are described below

The excess pore water pressure at any time t and radial distance r is given by

4 2 2

= 2 () 2 (149)
2

2 3 2 1
Where = (150)
2 1 4 2

= average value of pore water pressure throughout clay layer

= ui e (151)
8T r
= (152)
F(n)

The average degree of consolidation due to radial drainage is

8T r
= 1 (153)
F(n)

Table 4 gives the values of the time factor for various values of (also see Figure 5.50). For / > 5,
the free-strain and equal-strain solutions give approximately the same results for the average degree of
consolidation.

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NPTEL- Advanced Geotechnical Engineering

Figure 5.50 Variation of degree of consolidation with time factor . (After F. E. Richart, Review of the
Theories for Sand Drains, Trans. ASCE, vol. 124, 1959)

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