Coupled filtration–consolidation model for vacuum-preloaded soft ground

The widespread utilisation of vacuum-assisted prefabricated vertical drains for managing clayey soft ground has led to the development of numerous consolidation models. However, these models have limitations when describing the filtration behaviour of soil under conditions of high water content, without the formation of a particle network. To address this issue effectively, in this work, based on the compressional rheology theory, a two-dimensional axisymmetric model incorporating the compressive yield stress P y (ϕ) and a hindered setting factor r(ϕ) was developed to couple the filtration and consolidation of soil under vacuum preloading. A novel approach for determining the unified ϕ–P y –r relationships was introduced. The equation governing such fluid/solid and solid/solid interactions was solved using the alternative direction implicit method, and the numerical solutions were validated against the one-dimensional filtration cases, three-dimensional laboratory model tests and large-scale field trials. Further parametric analysis suggests that the radius of the representative unit and r(ϕ) exclusively affect the dewatering rate of the clayey slurry, while the gel point and P y (ϕ) influence both the dewatering rate and the final deformation.