Experimental Investigation on Effectiveness of a Vertical Drain under Cyclic Loads

This study examines the effectiveness of a prefabricated vertical drain (PVD) installed in reconstituted soft clay, where a large cyclic triaxial device was used to simulate repeated loading representing a rail track environment. The experimental data demonstrate that PVD successfully prevents excessive buildup of pore water pressure during cyclic loading, and that dissipation continues to occur after the load is removed. The findings of this study have direct relevance to rail track environments, e.g., in coastal Australia, where PVD installation beneath rail tracks constructed on low-lying estuarine soils has been recently introduced.