Developed as an alternative to sand drains, wick drains are manufactured as a geofabric wrapped ribbed plastic strip. On site, the rolls of wick drain are fed through a hollow square steel mandrel which is pushed through the soft sediments to a predetermined level. Upon extraction of the mandrel the toe of the drain is anchored via a shoe (steel or plastic plate).
Typically installed on triangular or square grid patterns, the drains form a very cost-effective means of reducing time for consolidation, especially when combined with preloading.
Wick drains are ideally suited to large civil projects requiring pavements in and around soft marine deposits. These include container terminals, airports, road and rail embankments.