In the past, the engineers had some difficulties in making desings on compressible grounds. That’s why the need for various improvement methods have occured. Unforeseeable long-term placement in the ground compels us to superfluous labour force and also extra costs in addition to waste of time. When the simple and ordinary ground improvement methods are used in the projects, it takes a rather long time. Such a waste of time can only be prevented by creating artificial vertical drainage ways which provides the pore water flow. Those artificial vertical drainage ways called Wick Drain consists of plastic wicks that acting as free drainage ways. Wicks are covered with geosynthetic filter.

Z Makina is the company that is the most experienced and preffered one in ground processing Equipments sector. Z Makina is the only and first wick drain producer and exporter company in Turkey. Z Makina has many experiences and references in wick drain production and application. Z Makina manufactured its first wick drain is 2002. Since 2002, Z Makina has been featured in many wick drain applications in and outside of Turkey.

There are two types of wick drain manufactured by Z Makina. (w/ and w/out vibro) According to the ground type and desired depth, the required type can be preffered. It is enough to use the one without vibro in soft ground. Wick drain with vibro should be preffered in hard and difficult ground. Hereby, there will be no need for any other drilling equipment.

Especially the main purpose of using wick drain is fastening drainage and compression of ground, in addition of creating a stage which has an ability to carry loads while consodilating.

The prominent basis of Z Makina is to protect the national products that manufactured in appropriate quality. Based on this idea that Z Makina provided quality and nationwide distribution with imports in bored piles, jet grouts, mini piles etc. Equipment group. On the other hand Z Makina makes domestic and overseas marketing for wick drain units. This is because Z Makina aims at presenting quality and technology to the customers worldwide. When manufacturing is the matter, Z Makina gives better results according to foreigner competitors. Z Makina has designed the wick drain system with taking aim at higher water flow capacity, filtering specialty with higher resistance and stabilized structure.

The application is as follows;

Wick drain is produced as being able to move up and down along the the mast in a vertical manner for easier assembling and implementing. It’s a big advantage that machine can be mounted to all types of excavators in each tonnage.

Wicks are added to drain drum which locates on the machine. Sand, gravel or suitable materails (30- 40 cm) should be placed to where wick drains will be already installed in. Afterwards the machine should be vertically positioned. Now the machine is ready to create drainage ways.

Excavator puts wick drains into the ground with the help of static hydraulic power. Mandrels that involved in Z Makina branded wick drains was specially designed and also registered. Wicks are located into the ground through the mandrel.

Drainage points should be already identified before the process. Placing wick operation is needed to be repeated on each drainage point. Required depth can be changed from one place to another. As a solution, wick drains are usable in various sizes for different drainage projects.

Stoppers make the wick drains be fixed into ground within needed depth. Hereafter mandrel takes out itself. By the stopper wick drains do not move out while the mandrel is working.

Drainage way is already done with the located wick drains. For the next drainage point, it is required to cut the wick drain after the mandrel is taken out.

The described steps are enough for soft soil. But for the harder and more difficult ground, it is required that crush the rocks to drive the mandrel. In this case wick drain w/ vibro should be preffered. Wick drain w/ vibro system dissolves the requirement for any other drilling equipment.

After wick drains are located into ground, it is needed to put some load onto ground. It will compress the ground and help to fasten the process.

Wick drain application will greatly reduce the ground improvement time. When other methods are used, it can take more than a year. This time can be reduced from years to few months.

Wick drain can be used in all types of ground improving projects, including projects below.

• Highway embankments
• Bridges and passages
• Barrages
• Railways
• Airports and seaports
• Storage tanks
• Commercial and Residential Buildings
• Mining Wastes and Residuals

A few projects that belongs to Z makina are listed as follows;

• Waste water project in Bursa - 5.000.000 meters
• Railway project in Bilecik - 800.000 meters
• Railway project in İznik - 500.000 meters
• Railway project in İstanbul Halkalı - 500.000 meters
• Waste water project in Konya - 1.500.000 meters
• Seaport project in Azerbaijan Baku - 2.000.000 meters
• Petroleum Station project in Iraq Basra - 3.000.000 meters
• Parking lot project in Russia Sochi - 8.000.000 meters