This study investigates staged surcharge preloading at a coastal test section by integrating field monitoring (pore-water pressure, settlement/settlement rate, and layer-by-layer deformation) with laboratory consolidation tests and field vane shear measurements. Responses at the surcharge center and slope-toe margin are compared to quantify spatial non-uniformity and pore-pressure–deformation coupling. Pronounced heterogeneity is observed (this field response represents three-dimensional deformation behavior that cannot be reproduced by 1D consolidation tests), with an empirical transition depth of ~24 m for this Wenzhou coastal soft soil site: above this depth, strains concentrate near the margin, whereas below it, compression at the center becomes dominant. The pore-pressure–settlement relationship is stage-dependent: during loading, pore pressure fluctuates markedly and settlement lags; during maintained consolidation, pore pressure dissipates, effective stress develops, and settlement is governed mainly by consolidation compression. After surcharging, water content decreases, and soil sensitivity reduces from 4.0 to 3.0 and stabilizes, indicating post-disturbance structural re-stabilization. These findings inform surcharge scheme design, monitoring layouts, and subsequent model calibration.
Zhao et al. (Tue,) studied this question.
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