• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
• /
• v.13 no.8
• /
• pp.85-94
• /
• 2012

Evaluation of the smear effect caused by mandrel penetration into soft ground for a vertical drain installation is very important to predict the consolidation time of soft ground improvement. 30 kinds of laboratory model tests considering in situ conditions were conducted to investigate the formation of a smear zone and the decrease of coefficient of permeability in the disturbed zone. Three types(C(clay):M(silt)=1:1, 0.5:0.5, and 0:1) of reconstituted samples were used for 3 dimensional smear zone test. An experimental study was performed focusing on length of mandrel penetration, mandrel shape and size, earth pressure, and ground condition(unit weight and grain size distributions). Laboratory test results show that the length of mandrel penetration is the most critical factor for the formation of smear zone. As a result, the ratio between diameter of the smear zone($d_s$) and that of mandrel($d_m$) at field using long mandrel becomes larger than conventional $d_s/d_m$. The ratio between $d_s$ and $d_m$ ranges from 1.89 and 2.48 with the sample at C:M=1:0. It was also found that the $d_s/d_m$ value with the round shape of the mandrel is smaller than that of diamond one. The value of $d_s/d_m$ decreased with larger mandrel size, lower unit weight, and higher earth pressure. However, higher silt content led to increase of $d_s/d_m$. The ratio between coefficient of horizontal permeability in the smear zone($k_{hs}$) and that of undisturbed zone($k_{ho}$) ranged from 0.70 to 0.85. The test results imply that factors and values affecting $k_{hs}/k_{ho}$ show similar tendency with $d_s/d_m$.