Quick Search:    advanced search

GSW Home   GeoRef Home   My GSW Alerts   Contact GSW   About GSW   Journals List   Help

Environmental and Engineering Geoscience

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (1) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by SANTI, P. M. Articles by ELIFRITS, C. D. Search for Related Content GeoRef GeoRef Citation

Demonstration Projects Using Wick Drains to Stabilize Landslides

¹ Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401
² Department of Physics and Geology, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY 41099

A new method has been developed to stabilize slopes and landslides using driven, geotextile wick drains rather than drilled polyvinyl chloride or steel drains. Compared to drilled horizontal drains, wick drains can be significantly deformed without rupturing. They resist clogging, and they can be installed quickly and economically by workers with no previous training. Since 1998, more than 170 drains, totaling more than 2,600 m (8,600 ft) in length, have been installed at eight sites in Missouri, Colorado, and Indiana. At three of the sites, drains were installed at a density and layout considered to be appropriate for full-scale stabilization: 27 to 44 drains were driven at each site, averaging 15 to 20 m (50–70 ft) in length. A method was developed to accurately estimate the groundwater-table profile after drain installation, and computer slope-stability analysis using this method showed significant increases (10–40 percent) in factors of safety after drain installation. The limitations of the methodology should be recognized: it may be applied in specific situations requiring relatively short (<30–45 m, or <100–150 ft) drains in materials ranging from soft to very stiff (up to 30 blows/ft in standard penetration tests). The potential effectiveness of drainage as a mitigation option should be verified through analysis of site geology and hydrogeology before drain installation.

Key Words: Slope Stability • Slope Stabilization • Landslides • Drainage • Wick Drains