Band drains, often referred to as prefabricated vertical drains or wick drains, are installed in soft, compressible soils to accelerate consolidation and manage long-term settlement.
Basic Technique
They comprise a geocomposite strip inserted vertically into the ground using a mandrel, forming drainage pathways that significantly reduce the distance pore water must travel during consolidation.
In practice, they are commonly used alongside surcharge loading to speed up ground improvement for infrastructure schemes, roads, industrial storage yards and residential developments. Engineers specify band drains where soft cohesive soils would otherwise lead to lengthy settlement periods, allowing construction programmes to move forward with greater certainty while maintaining control over ground performance.
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