Build an embankment on soft clay in stages. The studio works out the final consolidation settlement from Cc, Cr and the preconsolidation pressure, the rate of consolidation with prefabricated vertical drains (Terzaghi vertical and Hansbo radial flow combined), the settlement–time curve under the staged loading, the gain in undrained strength as each lift consolidates, and the stability of every stage on circular slip surfaces with an optional basal geogrid — with the residual settlement at opening, cross-sections, charts, a 3D view, calculation sheets and Excel.
Scope & limitations
Preliminary staged-construction design for study and planning. Soft clay parameters must come from site investigation and laboratory testing; confirm the strength gain and settlement with instrumentation during construction.
What the Embankment on Soft Clay Studio does
Settlement: the clay is split into ten sublayers; the embankment stress at each depth comes from Osterberg's influence factor, and the void ratio change uses Cr up to the preconsolidation pressure and Cc beyond it, giving the final settlement at the centreline.
Time: vertical consolidation follows Terzaghi's series solution; with prefabricated vertical drains, radial consolidation follows Hansbo with the drain spacing, equivalent diameter and smear zone, and the two are combined. Staged loading is handled by superposing the settlement of each lift from the day it is placed, giving the settlement curve, the settlement at opening and the residual settlement.
Stability: each stage is checked by Bishop's simplified method on a grid of circles through the fill and clay. The clay's undrained strength rises with depth and gains (su/σ′v) × U × Δσ′ from the lifts already consolidating; the fill uses its friction angle, and a basal geosynthetic adds its design strength about the circle centre. A single full-height lift is shown for comparison.
Output: the cross-section with the stages, drains, reinforcement and critical circle; fill height and settlement against time; strength profiles before and after staging; a 3D view, PDF calculation sheets, A3 drawings and Excel.