Abstract: Aiming at effectively improving the electroosmotic efficiency and effects, the influence of three different arrangements of the electrodes, namely rectangular array, hexagonal array, and parallel and transposition array, on the effect of electroosmotic drainage through laboratory model tests is investigated. Aluminum tube electrodes are adopted; and the treated area, applied voltage and treated time are designed to assure the consistency among the three electrode arrangements. Drainage, the rate of current decrease, cracks on the soil and coefficient of energy dissipation are analyzed and compared after the tests. It is revealed that the cracks of rectangular array are regular and its drainage effect is ordinary. Parallel and transposition array has the maximum drainage, the largest rate of current decrease as well as the best performance based on the coefficient of energy dissipation. The cracks of hexagonal array are the most complex, which run through the lengthwise section and have a strong impact on the electroosmotic efficiency at later stages. Before the extensively developing of cracks, the rate of hexagonal array’s current decrease is very small. According to the results of laboratory tests, it is recommended to employ the parallel and transposition array primarily for electroosmotic treatment.

Key words: electroosmotic, electrode array, drainage, rate of current decrease, cracks