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Fractal properties of filter membrane for silt clogging evaluation on PVD improved soft clays

  • Geotechnical Engineering
  • Published:
KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering Aims and scope

Abstract

Soft clays are characterized by having large fine particle content, and prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs) are used to accelerate the consolidation of soft clays to improve foundation strength. During consolidation, the fine particles move and accumulate around the polyester filter membrane, which causes silt clogging of the PVDs, thereby reducing consolidation efficiency. The microstructure images of the polyester filter membrane before and after clogging were collected by applying electron microscope technology. The computer program processes the micro images, including preprocessing, binary threshold segmentation, pore distribution, and fractal properties analysis. Results show that the new fiber lines are clear, with no junk in the space and a certain sense of hierarchy. The clogged filter membrane is blurred, with black shadow lumps or sand-sized dots. The fractal dimension of clogged filter membrane is increased, particularly in the sand cushion. Thus, analyzing the fractal properties of the filter membrane is proposed as a new quantitative method for silt clogging on PVD-improved soft clays.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CCCC Fourth Harbor Engineering Institute Co., Ltd., Guangzhou, 510230, China

    Jing Wang

  2. CCCC Key Lab of Environmental Protection & Safety in Foundation Engineering of Transportation, Guangzhou, 510230, China

    Jing Wang

  3. The Second Engineering Company of CCCC Fourth Harbor Engineering Co., Ltd., Guangzhou, 510300, China

    Zhiliang Dong

  4. Civil and Transportation Institute, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510641, China

    Haihong Mo

Authors
  1. Jing Wang
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  2. Zhiliang Dong
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  3. Haihong Mo
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Correspondence to Jing Wang.

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Wang, J., Dong, Z. & Mo, H. Fractal properties of filter membrane for silt clogging evaluation on PVD improved soft clays. KSCE J Civ Eng 21, 636–641 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-016-0673-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-016-0673-4

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