Design of Wick Drains

When constructing work such as road embankments, bridge approaches, dikes, or buildings on soft compressible soils, significant settlements may occur due to consolidation of these soils under the superimposed loads. To avoid serious and potentially expensive problems due to such settlements, it is desirable to cause this consolidation to occur at the outset of the project, and in the shortest possible time -- during the construction period. To facilitate the dewatering process, it is necessary to install vertical drains into the soil, to provide a conduit for the water flow. Wick drains are a very economical means of providing a vertical drain.

This 2-hour interactive online course describes the use of wick drains along with providing a procedure to determine the required spacing of wick drains. It is based on a design guide provided by a supplier of wick drains.

There is a test included at the end of this course.