Colbonddrain – Consolidating performance on a roll Colbonddrain – Consolidating performance on a roll

Preload may be applied

Colbonddrain
Fill Fill

Functions Vertical Drain Design

Drainage blanket (sand)

• Forms a path for excess

Long Short
drainage paths drainage paths
pore-water created by the
An assessment of the effect of vertical drains on the
overburden; water is drained consolidation process can easily be made using a
off to the surface resulting in a
Application
method first proposed by Kjellman and is shown in
stable subgrade on which equation form below:

( )
Over the past years Colbonddrain CX1000 has continually evolved to remain construction can take place
Without vertical drains With vertical drains

a state-of-the-art vertical drain and retain its position as the product setting the • Reduces consolidation time of soft soils significantly, which D2 D 3 1
benchmark in the world of soil consolidation solutions. The original t= In - In
results in substantial cost savings 8Ch d 4 1-Uh
Colbonddrain vertical drain was launched in 1975. Since then, our research &
development work has married laboratory tests with extensive practical
Product Benefits t = consolidation period (year)
experience gained from millions of meters of Colbonddrain in service in the
D = diameter of drained soil cylinder (m)
field. As a result, every new drain brings a significant improvement in product High performance
Ch = horizontal coefficient of consolidation
characteristics and performance, meeting and exceeding the demands made • Unique combination of patented core structure and
(m2/year)
of it on construction sites worldwide. nonwoven filter increases water flow capacity by more
d = equivalent diameter of PVD (m)
than 50% Uh = average degree of consolidation
Our new Colbonddrain CX1000 is based on an innovative extrusion and
• Core: Hydraulic channel profile (core) ensures laminar flow
shaping technique. It is a high-performance tough and durable vertical drain
for maximum performance The equation has been developed into a design chart
designed primarily to accelerate the consolidation of soft soils before which relates the degree of consolidation, time
construction. • High flow rate maintained even when Colbonddrain is
available for consolidation, coefficient of consolidation
buckled beyond 90° (which can occur due to consolidation (Ch) and thus the required drain spacing (S) can be
The slow consolidation of soft clays (up to 25 years to achieve 90% settlement of up to 50% in the upper clay layers) determined assuming the normal triangular grid of
consolidation) is an increasingly significant challenge. Examples are the many
• Innovative manufacturing technique maximizes drain installation.
infrastructure projects which are being built in marshland areas. Our new
performance The use of a triangular grid for installation gives the
Colbonddrain CX1000 prefabricated vertical drain (PVD) provides an
• Nonwoven filter layers deliver optimum filtration, most efficient relationship between the area of an
economical solution, delivering consolidation in months instead of years.
equilateral triangle of side length S and the circle of
permeability and strength. Thickness of core walls is
This substantial reduction of the time taken to consolidate compressible clay influence of each drain.
increased in specific locations to offer high crushing
leads to a higher factor of safety and reduces the time taken to finish
strength to allow use of CX1000 to depths of 100 m
construction, reducing project costs to the client.
• Tensile strength of new CX1000 is 25% higher allowing
Consolidation percentage Consolidation time (in months)
Ch (m2/sec)

usage on all installation rig types 2x10-8 4 6 8 10-7 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10-6

Product • Suitable for use in all soil types 48

36
30

• 10 cm wide product with a solid polymer core

24
99 21
18
15
95

covered on both sides with a strong and

12
90 10
Easy to handle 80 8

permeable filter fabric • Roll length increased to 300 linear meters reduces number
6
70 5
60 4

• Outer filter fabric bonded to the core structure of connections on site

50 3
40
2

over its entire surface to form a homogeneous

30

• 30% volume reduction resulting in less storage space 20

1

geocomposite product used on site

• Unique patented hydraulically-designed core • New packaging of 10 rolls to a pack allows faster
profile for maximum water flow capacity unloading of container
3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 12 141618 24 32

S (m) Ch (m /year)
2

Thanks to its high

performance Colbonddrain is
often the chosen PVD for
major, technically demanding
projects, such as the third
runway at Changi Airport,
Durable
• Thermal bonding of filter to the entire surface of the core Design chart for Colbonddrain CX1000
structure ensures that the filter is kept taut across the flow
Reference: Elzen, L.W.A. van den (1982), “Accelerated consolidation of compressible,
low-permeable subsoil by means of Colbonddrains”
channels
D

• Filter cannot tear or become separated from the core

Triangular grid layout
Singapore. In this project D = 1.05S
S = spacing of the drains
Colbonddrain has been when passing over the pulleys at the rig top or during soil D = diameter of the equivalent
installed to depths of up to 50
meters. The project required consolidation cylindrical column of soil,
drained by each drain
a total of 60 million linear
meters of PVD and is
probably the largest vertical
drain reclamation project in
the world.
S D

2 3