Accelerating Soil Consolidation with Menard Vacuum™ Technology
Menard Vacuum™ is used to accelerate consolidation of cohesive, highly compressible soils. The process consists in creating a negative pressure under an airtight membrane laid over the soil, which generates atmospheric pressure on the soil, equivalent to the pressure exerted by a 4 metre embankment.
What is Menard VacuumTM
Menard Vacuum™ is used to accelerate consolidation of cohesive, highly compressible soils. The process consists in creating a negative pressure under an airtight membrane laid over the soil, which generates atmospheric pressure on the soil equivalent to the pressure exerted by a 4 meter embankment.
How long does it take to implement the technique
It generally takes between 1 and 3 months between start of the project and the creation of the Menard Vacuum™ negative pressure (the time needed to install the vertical drains, horizontal drains, instrumentation, airtight membrane, trench around the site).
MENARD VACUUM™ FAQ
During the entire pumping operation, the water table is maintained at the level of the horizontal drain network. The process does not lower the water table within or around the worksite. The system pumps only the volume of water expelled by the soil during consolidation settlement and the residual flow necessary to maintain the vacuum.
The technique is rarely used on surface areas of less than 10,000 m².
This technique can substantially reduce consolidation time thanks to early pre-loading as soon as the system is in place and without risk of ground failure. The isotropic nature of the Menard Vacuum™ load and the “artificial beam” generated by the vacuum between the horizontal drains and the membrane have a strong stabilizing effect on the fill.
