Geotechnical Properties of Soft Improved Ground from insitu Time-Settlement Plots

Ground improvement using PVDs or sand drains can significantly shorten the time for primary consolidation. In most cases, surcharge load is built over a period of time during which some consolidation occurs. In this study, a method is developed for the estimation of the coefficient of consolidation based on the degree of consolidation at the end of construction time for sand drain treated ground. The proposed method is used for the estimation of coefficient of consolidation for few test cases. Thus, it is possible to estimate the in situ coefficient of consolidation at early times from the observed time-settlement plots.