Improvement of marine slurry by vacuum preloading and air-booster via a reverse prefabricated vertical drain

The Marine slurry can be used for tideland reclamation projects; however, its high water content must be reduced. This article proposes a vacuum preloading-reverse prefabricated vertical drain (RPVD) method of slurry water reduction. Laboratory model tests of a vacuum preloading-prefabricated vertical drains (PVD) method and vacuum preloading-RPVD method were conducted to explore their effects on improving marine slurry foundations. Through comparative analysis, the vacuum preloading-RPVD method was found to provide better soil improvement. To solve the problem of clogging, this article proposes using an RPVD for pressurization. An RPVD was pressurized for different durations and certain variables during and after consolidation were monitored. The results show that, relative to the soil without air pressurization, the use of an RPVD for pressurization can significantly reduce clogging. The pressurization duration has a threshold, if the pressurization duration exceeds 45 min, the soil improvement effect will not be affected.