Effect of Artesian Pressure on Consolidation Behavior of Drainage-Installed Marine Clay Deposit

Marine clay deposits in Busan are subjected to artesian pressure from an aquifer. To estimate the effects of artesian pressure on the consolidation behavior of drainage-installed deposits in Busan, a series of large one-dimensional (1D) column tests with soft marine clay subjected to artesian pressure was carried out. Undrained shear strength and water content of clays were measured after the experiments. A finite-element method was also used to analyze consolidation behavior of the column tests and field embankment. During the consolidation process, the undrained shear strength of the soft marine clay subjected to artesian pressure increased less due to a lower increase in effective stress, whereas the water content of the clay subjected to artesian pressure was higher than that of soft clay without artesian pressure. The experimental results also showed that settlement in soft marine clay with artesian pressure was larger than that in soft clay without artesian pressure because artesian pressure contributed to preventing shear strength development, which resulted in lower soil stiffness. Numerical results were in good agreement with the experimental test results and a case of field embankment subjected to artesian pressure. It was found that artesian pressure acting on soft marine clay deposits affected time-dependent consolidation behavior, development of shear strength, and changes in the water content of the clays.