Critical Parameters for Specification of Prefabricated Vertical Drains Available to Purchase

This paper studies the properties of prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs) that are the controlling factors in the specification of PVDs. The ASTM D 4716 standard test method has generally become the most widely used test method for measuring the discharge capacity of a PVD. In this test method, the variation in clamping configurations and hydraulic gradient are not considered and can result in large differences in the discharge rate for the same PVD. After consideration of the relevant properties of a PVD, a suggested model specification is given.