Improved radial consolidation in soft clay using pervious concrete piles

The efficacy of a pervious concrete pile (PCP) in accelerating the rate of consolidation in unconsolidated soft clay deposits was explored. A series of laboratory consolidation tests was performed on PCPs, sand drains and stone columns in two different soft soils (clay with high compressibility (CH) and clay with intermediate compressibility (CI)) and their consolidation characteristics were compared. A novel annular setup was used to determine the consolidation characteristics of all three techniques employed. Compared with the sand drain and stone column, the PCP provided an extensive enhancement in consolidation characteristics such as the coefficient of compressibility and the coefficient of consolidation. The enhanced compression index obtained using the PCP implied a compelling scope for accelerating the radial consolidation of the surrounding soil, which was less in the case of the stone columns and sand drains. An improvement in the rate of consolidation in the radial direction was observed in both the CI and CH soils when a PCP was employed. The acceleration in consolidation was greater in the CH soil than in the CI soil.