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Drainage Conditions and Pore Water Pressure's Change of Dredger Fill

Conference Paper · July 2012

DOI: 10.1061/9780784412435.040

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 Drainage condition and pore water pressure’s change of dredger fill

Zhongqiong Zhang 1, Qing Wang 2 and Ze Zhang 3

1
State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering, CAREERI, CAS; No.320,
Donggangxi Road ,Lanzhou, 730000; email: Zhongqionghao@163.com
2
College of Construction Engineering, Jilin University; No.6,Ximingzhu
Road ,Changchun, 130026; email:wangqing@jlu.edu.cn
3
State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering,CAREERI,CAS; No.320,
Donggangxi Road ,Lanzhou, 730000; email: ze.z@hotmail.com

ABSTRACT

Many factors affected dredger fill’s consolidation. Dissipation of pore water

pressure reflects the hydraulic fill’s consolidation process from another angle. In
this paper, hydraulic fill with the high clay content as study object. Indoor simulation
experiments carried out under different drainage conditions: the same drawdown of
different drainage rates, different drawdown rate of the same drainage. Comparison
time of soil initiation drainage, the rate of drainage, and the dissipation of pore water
pressure in the different drainage conditions. When the larger drawdown rapid
drainage, found the soil has been reinforced around vertical drainage pipe first, pore
water pressure changes so little when the soil away from the vertical body.
Comparing speaking, the cohesive soil would be easier to consolidation in small
drawdown and slow drainage process. Select the appropriate drawdown and drainage
rate could be achieved better results of cohesive soil consolidation.

KEYWORDS

Drawdown; Drainage Rate; Pore Water Pressure

INTRODUCTION

Land reclamation is an important method to solve building land shortage in the

coastal areas.The hydraulic fill with high plasticity, low permeability. Under natural
conditions, 2-3 years after the reclamation, it can be used as building foundation.
Engineers set the vertical drainage pipes in the soil body for increase the drainage
channels. It were always plugged by fine particles. The smaller load imposed to
hydraulic fill, the longer time is demanded for hydraulic fill reinforcement. If the
load is too larger, the vertical drainage pipes would be clogged, and reducing
drainage function of the drainage pipes (Bai&Smart 1997). This has led to vertical
drain body failure partly or fully (Fang&Fu 1989).The seepage caused by the
increase in pore water pressure. The water level of the drains, seepage path length,
soil density changes from seepage start to finish, which all promote fluctuation of
pore water pressure. In the process of instantaneous drainage, boundary water
pressure transient decline prompted the dissipation of pore water pressure. Adjust the
water level of the drain pipe can effectively control the pore water pressure

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dissipation(Song et al. 2010 and Niu et al. 2011).In summary, the existing hydraulic
fill reinforcement method also to be further studied.
In this article, we focus on hydraulic fill’s the pore water pressure dissipation law
and changes of engineering geological properties in different drainage conditions.
We select soil sample with the high clay content as the laboratory test object,
analysis the pore water pressure’s dissipation in the drainage process.

GEOLOGICAL NATURAL OF THE SOIL

In this paper, soil samples of dredger fill were taken from Industrial Zone in Tianjin
Harbor,China.For this test, the moisture content is 39.5%, which is the end of the
soil’s drainage consolidation(Table1). Clay content was up to 65% (Table2).

Table 1. Basic Physical Properties of Soil

w /% ȡJFP3 ȡs w L /% w P /%
Mucky Silty Clay 120 1.30 2.74 39.5 22.8
Table 2. Particle Size Composition of Soil /mm
>0.05 0.05 0.01 0.005 <0.002 Soil’s Name
~0.01 ~0.005 ~0.002
Not Dispersants 4.0 16.2 75.3 2.3 2.2 Silty Loam
Dispersants 3.8 18.6 11.7 17.9 48 Heavy Clay

DRAINAGE TEST

Two sets of indoor simulation experiments carried out under different drainage
conditions: the same drawdown of different drainage rates and different drawdown
rate of the same drainage. Steady release water per unit time was 0.9~1.0 L/ h in
small drawdown and slow drainage process, steady release water was 1.1~1.2 L/ h in
larger drawdown and slow drainage process. Soil samples were put in the chamber,
which had been mixed. This was to ensure that the soil samples were homogeneous,
isotropic. Pore water pressure gauges were placed at different depths and distances
from the drainage pipe, which is small size and high sensitivity. The measuring range
is 0~199.0kPa,the accuracy is ± 0.1kPa.
(a)
Vertical (b)
drainage pipe
30

2 10 7
25

5 6 7
9 8 6
8
2 10
25

Pore-water
1
pressure gauge 3 1 5 3
20

9
5 15 10 10 5 50

Figure 1. Plane and profile layout map of the pore water pressure (unit: cm)
It was used to examine the pore water pressure dissipation and growth of effective
stress at different depths in different drainage process. Water level in the vertical
pipe and drainage water observed. In this experimental process, the pore water
pressure changes and water table was recorded. Interval of record data is 1min, 2min,

228
4min, 10min, 15min, 30min, and 60min. Test model and the pore water pressure
profile locations shown in Fig.1 emplaced (Zhang et al. 2010 and Song et al. 2010).

CHANGES OF PORE WATER PRESSURE DURING THE TEST

We can found from drainage experiments: Each of drainage process is the process of
imposing the external forces to dredger fill. In the larger drawdown or faster drainage
rate experiment (Fig.2), soil particles bear the greater seepage force. Soil particles
move to the stronger hydrodynamic area, gathered in the round of vertical drainpipe,
formatted the clay soil layer with low permeability. Not formatted an effective flow
channel, free water can not flow into the vertical drain pipes, so, free water
accumulated in the outer of low permeability layer, leading to dissipation of pore
water pressure can not be timely, excess pore water pressure has been
generated(Fig.2). It affects the effective stress and intensity’s growth. Low-
permeability clay layer formation is a combined effect of gravity and seepage force.
The existence of low-permeability clay layer affects the pass water ability of soil.
Pore water pressure of the upper part reinforced soil does not dissipated .As Fig.2
shown, the pore water pressure has not changed in the depth of 55cm and from the
drainage pipe 40 or 25 cm, and the two curves coincide. Note that pore water
pressure increased; there is no seepage in the channels. Indicate that soil drainage is
more difficult in this experiment condition. In the smaller drawdown or slower
drainage rate experiment, soil particles subject to a smaller seepage force and have
relatively more time to adjust relative position of particles. Meanwhile, in a small
pressure condition, the soil migration speed and distance are relatively small, and the
soil particles change from the single-grained structure to flocculent structure, the
structural connection between the soils particles enhance, which provide a more
stable channel for drainage. As the intensity of growth, seepage channels gradually
stabilized, and extent to the direction away from drainage pipes. Seepage channels
continuously adjusted and extended conducive to free water drainage and the pore
water pressure dissipation. Pore water pressure dissipation in 80cm depth is to a
lesser extent, the length of drainage paths and seepage channel is affecting the pore
water pressure dissipation, compared to the rapid drainage test, pore water pressure
does not rise.
9 9
Pore water pressure˄kPa˅

Pore water pressure˄kPa˅

8 (A)Larger drawdown test 8 (B)Smaller drawdown test

7 Observation points
(distance from pipe ,depth)
7 Observation points
6 Point 1˄25ˈ80˅ 6 (distance from pipe ,depth)
Point 2˄10ˈ30˅ Point 1˄25ˈ80˅
5 5 Point 2˄10ˈ30˅
Point 5˄10ˈ80˅
Point 5˄10ˈ80˅
4 Point 6˄25ˈ55˅
4 Point 6˄25ˈ55˅
Point 7˄40ˈ30˅
Point 7˄40ˈ30˅
3 Point 9˄40ˈ80˅ 3
Point 9˄40ˈ80˅
Point 3˄25ˈ80˅
2 Point 8˄25ˈ30˅ 2 Point 3˄25ˈ80˅
Point 10˄25ˈ80˅ Point 8˄25ˈ30˅
1 1 Point 10˄25ˈ80˅
0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240 270 0 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240 270
Time˄min˅ Time˄min˅
Figure 2. Pore water pressure changes in the test
Hydraulic fill reinforcement is the process of pore water pressure dissipation and
particle rearrange. For the soil particle, Seepage force spread gradually and delivered
to the soil particles eventually. In certain hydrodynamic conditions, the smaller soil
particles of hydraulic fill under the effect of seepage forces will move until the
particles to reach a new force balance. This is the process of adjusting the relative

229
 position of soil particles continuously, soil particles from disorder to order. The
porosity adjusted and connected, as well as the formation of seepage channel. This
process is a very slow process. Note the slow drainage fill more conducive to
hydraulic fill. Effective seepage channel is a necessary condition to pore water
pressure dissipation.

CONCLUSION

Pore water pressure changes at different test are different. Strength affected by
drawdown and drainage rate mainly. The lower part of reinforce soil subjected the
larger additional stress in the drainage process. Pore water pressure dissipation in the
lower part of the soil was faster and changed greatly. This shows that the penetration
path and additional stress was determined factors in the hydraulic fill consolidation.
Reinforcing effect is quite different in different drainage conditions. The shorter the
drainage path and the greater the gravitational stress is, the more displacement of soil
as well as the higher degree consolidation is. In the small drawdown drainage
process, the soil’s consolidation was controlled by the gravitational stress below the
water table drop. Comparing speaking, the appropriate drawdown and slow drainage
rate was good to dredger fill reinforcement.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The Natural Science Foundation of China supports this work (grant number:
40672180 ,grant number: 40911120044), and Open Foundation of State
Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering(grant number:SKLFSE-ZQ-13)

REFERENCES

Bai X&Smart P.(1997) “Change in microstructure of kaolin in consolidation and

untrained shear.” Geotechinique, 47(1997): 1009 10-17.
Fang, K.Z.,&Fu, C.H., (1989). “The consolidation characteristics of dredger fill in
Qing wan harbor in Qingdao.” Dredging and Reclamation, 4 (1989):26-38.
Niu, C.C., Wang, Q., Yuan, X.Q.(2011). “Quantitative research on microstructure
features of dredger fill under seepage flow.” J. Jilin University(Earth Science
Edition),41(2011),1104-1109.
Song, J.,Wang Q.,Sun, T.,(2010) . “Laboratory research on variation mechanism of
pore water pressure during stage of dead-weight sludging drainage of dredger
fill.” Rock and Soil Mechanics, 31(2010),2935-2940.
Zhang, Z. Q.2009: Research on lab simulation test of quick consolidation technique
for dredger fill with high clay [R], Changchun, Master thesis of Jilin University.
2009.
Zhang, Z. Q., Wang Q., Qin Y.(2010). “Indoor simulation test of quick consolidation
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