Installation
of Deep drainage for accelerated consolidation of soft ground conditions
In
the past high, quality preparation of sites on soft soils was an
intensive, time-consuming and expensive undertaking.The new patented IFCO method means that all or part of site
preparation can now take place at a high speed, with a minimum of residual
settlement and without loss of stability.With the IFCO method existing techniques are combined, which
together ensure significant savings in time and therefore in costs
IFCO
is the abbreviation for Intensive Forcing Consolidation of the Subsoil, a
method which makes use of horizontal deep drainage and partial vacuum.
Conventional methods make use of pre-loading (sand), possibly combined
with vertical drainage, which accelerates consolidation of the subsoil to
some extent.This preparatory
process may take years, whereas the IFCO method yields a time saving of up
to
80%.With the IFCO method a
deep drainage trencher digs a horizontal drain to 6-7 metres below ground
level and the trench is then filled with sand. This creates vertical sand
screens on the site, with a drain at the bottom.A pump is installed in each drain for water removal so as to lower
the groundwater level.The
groundwater then flows horizontally to the permeable sand screens and is
discharged via the drains.