{"title":"Field investigation on prefabricated radiant drain (PRD) vacuum preloading for soft ground reinforcement effectiveness: a case study","authors":"Huayang Lei, Jiankai Li, Shuangxi Feng, Tianlu Ma, Guoqing Zhang, Shengpeng Yu","doi":"10.1007/s11440-026-03034-1","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Conventional vacuum preloading methods often encounter issues such as clogging around prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs), leading to uneven soil consolidation and differential ground settlement. To address these limitations, the prefabricated radiant drain (PRD) vacuum preloading method was proposed. To verify the engineering performance of the PRD vacuum preloading technology under real and complex geological conditions, this study investigates the effectiveness of the PRD vacuum preloading method in reinforcing soft ground through a full-scale field test at the Huanghua Port Bulk Cargo Terminal Mineral Powder Storage Yard Project in Hebei Province, China. The test compared the PRD method with the conventional PVD vacuum preloading technique over an area of more than 200 m<sup>2</sup>. Results indicate that the PRD method significantly enhances soil reinforcement, increasing average surface settlement by 35.6% and reducing final average pore water pressure by 24.5% compared to the conventional method. The average vane shear strength of the soil after reinforcement using PRD increased by 21.7%, while the average water content decreased by 22.0%. Additionally, PRD effectively mitigated non-uniform consolidation, reducing differential pore water pressure changes by 38.1% and decreasing the variation in soil shear strength at both the PRD locations and the midpoints between adjacent PRDs. This study confirms that PRD technology offers significant advantages in efficiently and environmentally friendly reinforcing soft ground and recycling dredged silt, providing valuable insights for similar projects.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":49308,"journal":{"name":"Acta Geotechnica","volume":"21 8","pages":"5219 - 5237"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5000,"publicationDate":"2026-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Acta Geotechnica","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11440-026-03034-1","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, GEOLOGICAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Conventional vacuum preloading methods often encounter issues such as clogging around prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs), leading to uneven soil consolidation and differential ground settlement. To address these limitations, the prefabricated radiant drain (PRD) vacuum preloading method was proposed. To verify the engineering performance of the PRD vacuum preloading technology under real and complex geological conditions, this study investigates the effectiveness of the PRD vacuum preloading method in reinforcing soft ground through a full-scale field test at the Huanghua Port Bulk Cargo Terminal Mineral Powder Storage Yard Project in Hebei Province, China. The test compared the PRD method with the conventional PVD vacuum preloading technique over an area of more than 200 m2. Results indicate that the PRD method significantly enhances soil reinforcement, increasing average surface settlement by 35.6% and reducing final average pore water pressure by 24.5% compared to the conventional method. The average vane shear strength of the soil after reinforcement using PRD increased by 21.7%, while the average water content decreased by 22.0%. Additionally, PRD effectively mitigated non-uniform consolidation, reducing differential pore water pressure changes by 38.1% and decreasing the variation in soil shear strength at both the PRD locations and the midpoints between adjacent PRDs. This study confirms that PRD technology offers significant advantages in efficiently and environmentally friendly reinforcing soft ground and recycling dredged silt, providing valuable insights for similar projects.
期刊介绍：
Acta Geotechnica is an international journal devoted to the publication and dissemination of basic and applied research in geoengineering – an interdisciplinary field dealing with geomaterials such as soils and rocks. Coverage emphasizes the interplay between geomechanical models and their engineering applications. The journal presents original research papers on fundamental concepts in geomechanics and their novel applications in geoengineering based on experimental, analytical and/or numerical approaches. The main purpose of the journal is to foster understanding of the fundamental mechanisms behind the phenomena and processes in geomaterials, from kilometer-scale problems as they occur in geoscience, and down to the nano-scale, with their potential impact on geoengineering. The journal strives to report and archive progress in the field in a timely manner, presenting research papers, review articles, short notes and letters to the editors.
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