Influence of Voltage on Pore Water Pressure for Soft Soil Treated with Electro-Osmosis Technique

Abstract

Geotechnical engineers have a difficult time working with soft soils because they require a long time to reach their final settlement and drain water under pressure. Granular columns and other modern technology are only two of the many methods utilised to hasten this levelling. In this study, the alteration of clay soils with a granular column and the evacuation of water by an electric field were replicated using 2D engineering and a finite component. Solid mechanics and electrical interfaces were built using the drag interface. Mohr–Coulomb theory relies on a granular column and fine clay soil at the mechanical contact and employs electro-osmosis to describe a model’s electric field’s impact. For a period of 6 months, the pore water pressure for fine clay soil was calculated. Result showed that when the electric current was applied with a voltage of 5 V, the pwp in soil increased in the first 2 months and then began to decrease gradually, reaching 120 kPa in the sixth month. When the applied voltage was increased to 15 V, the pwp decreased in the first 2 months from the previous ratio of voltage, then it began to decrease gradually and reached 70 kPa in the sixth month. When the applied voltage was further increased to 30 V, the pwp in the soil decreased in the first 2 months from the previous ratios of voltages, then it began to decrease gradually and reached 40 kPa. The percentage of water leaving the soil when an electric current of 5–15 V was applied was 64%. When the voltage was increased to 15–30 V, the value became 75%. That is, as the applied voltage increased, more water was discharged from the soil. The soil settlement also increased with an increase in voltage. The improvement percentage and the percentage of water leaving the soil were 50% at 5–15 V and 71% at 15–30 V.