Introducing E- Quake Drain
A new method for treating liquefiable soils uses prefabricated vertical drains in conjunction with a reservoir to maintain pore water pressures within the soil at safe levels.
The efficiency of vertical prefabricated wick drains for acceleration of consolidation settlement is well established. This method has virtually replaced the older sand drain method. Wick drains provide a shortened drainage path for dissipation of excess pore water pressures within the soil and provide a clear drainage path to conduct expelled water to the surface. This process is very efficient and cost-effective for acceleration of the consolidation process which takes place over a period of time, often several months.
In an earthquake, efficient drainage is required within seconds. Head losses from water flow within the drain itself become significant. E-QUAKE DRAIN (Patent Pending) makes use of a prefabricated drain with a large cross-sectional area, with flow capacity up to 10,000 times that of the usual wick drain. Head losses within this drain are only a fraction of that in a three-foot diameter stone column with equivalent flow. For further efficiency, a reservoir is provided to accommodate the expelled water without requiring its expulsion to the surface. This reservoir may occur naturally, such as a sand or gravel layer above the water table, or may be installed as an integral part of each drain.
E-QUAKE DRAINS are installed with specialized equipment, capable of penetrating hard intervening layers. The specially-shaped installation mandrel is vibrated during installation as an facilitate penetration, and to densify the liquefiable soil.
These factors combine to provide an extremely cost-effective and efficient system for liquefaction control.
Wickdrain