In the last decade, the construction of communication routes has intensified in Romania. As a result, many case studies related to the presence of saturated clayey soils in the foundation ground have emerged. In order to speed up the execution of highways and railways in a safely manner, the designers use different methods of improving soft clays in terms of compressibility.
The present study aims to evaluate the efficiency of an electrical current used for the vertical dewatering of a soft clay subgrade, through simple physical models. The experimental study is being performed on a laboratory scale model by using electrodes and geosynthetics for drainage, along with the vacuum technique.
The vertical drainage capacity during the electro-osmotic dewatering process, combined with preloading, drainage, vacuum and heat induction is being evaluated.
The integrated effect of these methods on the consolidation process will be analyzed for the final conclusions.