Application of

Vibro Techniques
for
Infrastructure
Projects in India
Rainer Wegner
Contract Manager,
Keller Grundbau GmbH, Germany
Dr. V. R. Raju
Director,
Keller Ground Engineering India Pvt Ltd, India
A. Vetriselvan
Engineering Manager,
Keller Ground Engineering India Pvt Ltd, India

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Keller Grundbau GmbH
Kaiserleistr. 44
D-63067 Offenbach
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Technical paper 10-61E

APPLICATION OF VIBRO TECHNIQUES FOR

INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS IN INDIA
Rainer Wegner
Contract Manager, Keller Grundbau GmbH, Germany.
Dr. V. R. Raju
Director, Keller Ground Engineering India Pvt Ltd, India.
A.Vetriselvan
Engineering Manager, Keller Ground Engineering India Pvt Ltd, India.

Abstract
Ground improvement is often required to stabilise weak soils for the construction of
major infrastructure projects. Deep vibratory techniques have found acceptance and
application worldwide as technically sound and cost effective ground improvement
methods. This paper describes the application of Vibro compaction for the construction of
breakwaters to a total length of 5 km for the Seabird Naval Base at Karwar, Karnataka and
the application of Vibro Replacement for the construction of two LNG tanks of 84m dia at
the Shell LNG terminal at Hazira, Gujarat. The paper explains the basic principles of the
two techniques, the methodology and quality control measures adopted.

1. INTRODUCTION
Large civil engineering projects are being executed in India in order to enhance the infrastructure
of the country. Infrastructure facilities have to be often built at sites where the soil conditions are
not ideal. The soils may vary from loose sands to soft clay deposits requiring treatment to improve
the shear strength and to reduce the liquefaction potential in the case that the selected area is
prone to seismic activity.
Rigid foundations such as piling present a solution but these are often expensive. In such
circumstances, ground improvement using Vibro techniques offers a proven and economical
solution.
This paper explains the application of Vibro techniques in two different soil conditions:
1. Vibro compaction methodology and its achieved results in the construction of a breakwater at
the Seabird naval base at Karwar and
2. Vibro Replacement (Vibro Stone Columns) process and its application in the construction of
two LNG tanks of 84 m diameter at the Shell LNG Terminal at Hazira.

R. Wegner Dr. V. R. Raju A.Vetriselvan

2. VIBRO COMPACTION
Vibro compaction is a technique used to densify loose filled or formed granular soils having fines
contents generally in the range of upto 10% to 15% using depth vibrators. The vibrations are
produced by rotating a heavy eccentric weight with the help of an electrical motor within the
vibrator. The vibratory energy is used to rearrange the granular particle in a denser state.
The vibrator with extension tubes is allowed to penetrate into the soil with the help of vibratory
force and high pressure water jets. Once the vibrator reaches the required depth, the water jets
are stopped /reduced and the vibrator is pulled back in short steps, in each step the vibrator is
held for a predetermined time interval. During this time, inter granular forces between the particles are reduced which helps in rearranging the particles in a denser state. The process is repeated
up to required level to form a soil mass having improved shear strength and compressibility
parameters.

2.1. Break Water at Karwar

As part of the construction of a naval base, breakwaters having a total length of about 5 km
(3.2 km on the southern and 1.8 km on the northern side) are being constructed. The width of the
breakwater at its base is 120 m. The soft clay present below the seabed at the proposed breakwater location was dredged to a depth of 6 m and backfilled with sand hydraulically. The sand
available in near by borrow pits was used as fill material.
Figure 1 shows a cross section of the breakwater and the subsoil showing the sand layer to be
compacted. In order to avoid excessive settlements and to reduce liquefaction potential, the top
portion of the 3.5 m to 4 m hydraulically filled sand layer was required to be compacted.
The requirement was an increase in cone penetration resistance at depths of 2 m & 3 m below
seabed level by 1.5 MPa and 2.0 MPa respectively from the original precompacted value.
+10 m
0 m

1m layer of coarse sand

Water level
Break water

10 m
14 m

Compacted sand fill

120 m

Fine sand
Sea Bed
(clay, soft silt)

Figure 1: Cross section of breakwater

Keller carried out the densification of the sand layer over an area of about 140,000 sq.m using the
Vibro Compaction technique. Based on a trial, a spacing of 3 m square grid was chosen and the
compaction process was monitored using Kellers M4 automatic recorders. The observed
settlement ranged between 0.2 m and 0.3 m arising from the compaction of 4 m of sandfill.
The compaction works were completed over a period of about 10 months effective working time
(excluding bad weather periods) between January 2001 and August 2002.

2.2. Setup of Equipment:

Four vibrators (quatro setup) attached with a follower tube of length 15 m each were suspended
from a steel frame. The steel frame setup with vibrators was suspended from a 150 T crane on a
barge. This system facilitates the compaction of 3.5 m to 4.0 m of sandfill in about 10 m of water.
A schematic arrangement of the barge and equipment is shown in Figure 2.

Application of Vibro Techniques for Infrastructure Projects in India

Dredged trench and fill

Figure 2: View of offshore Quatro Vibro setup

2.3. Working Sequence:

First the barge was towed by a tug to the compaction area and anchored either parallel or perpendicular to the centre line of the breakwater. The barge was positioned with the help of winches
and the vibrator probes were positioned using a global positioning system (GPS) which was
mounted on the centre of the quatro setup. The vibrators suspended from the crane were slowly
lowered into the water until they touch the seabed, then the vibrators were further penetrated
into the seabed to a depth of about 4 m. After reaching the required depth the vibrator was held
in position with its motor running for a period of 30 to 40 seconds. It was then lifted by 0.5 m and
this process was repeated until the vibrator reached the seabed. This process was repeated for all
points to compact the entire plan area of the breakwater uniformly.

2.4. Testing
CPT tests were carried out following a period of 7 days after compaction at every 50 m length
along the breakwater. The tests were conducted at the predetermined locations and were typically
at the centroid of the four compaction probes or at the mid point between two compaction
probes.
Typical pre and post compaction CPT test results are shown in Figure 3. The post compaction CPT
values were often found to be 2 to 3 times more than the pre compaction CPT Values.
Cone Resistance (MPa)
0
Pre CPT

10

Post CPT
11

Depth (m)

12

Figure 3: Typical CPT results

13

14

10

20

30

R. Wegner Dr. V. R. Raju A.Vetriselvan

3. VIBRO REPLACEMENT
Vibro replacement is a technique used to improve cohesive soils such as silts and clays and
granular soils with high fines contents (>15 to 20%). In this method, columns made up of stone
are installed in the soft/loose soil using the depth vibrator. The vibrator is used to first create a
hole in the ground, which is then filled with coarse granular fill (stones) during withdrawal of
the vibrator. The stones are then laterally displaced into the soil following repenetration of the
vibrator. In this manner a column made up of well compacted stones with diameters typically
ranging between 800 mm and 1100 mm can be installed in the ground.
Two methods of installation namely the wet and dry methods are available for the installation of
the columns. In the wet method, water jets are used to create the hole and assist in penetration.
In the dry method the hole is created by the vibratory energy and a pull down force.

3.1. LNG Terminal at Hazira

Shell India is constructing two LNG storage tanks at the Hazira LNG Terminal. The diameter of the
tanks is 84 m with a filling level of approx 35 m (see Figure 4). The sub soil at the site consists of
loose to medium silty sand to a depth of 10m. Below this, alternating layers of sand and silty clay
are present to a depth of 16 m. The top 3 m were recently reclaimed material. The average fines
content in the sand over the depth was in the range of 15% to 25%. Medium dense sand with SPT
N > 30 was encountered below 16 m.
The poor subsoil conditions and the intensity of earthquakes in the region resulted in the
requirement for soil improvement prior to construction of the tanks.

T1001

T1002

Inner Shell

LNG Storage Tanks

Outer Shell

Double-Wall Tanks

160,000 m

16 m

Stone columns

Pumps
Pipe Rack

Pumps

Figure 4: LNG Tank founded on stone columns

105 m dia.

T1002

Tank

84 m dia.

T1001

Zone of improvement

Pipe route

Application of Vibro Techniques for Infrastructure Projects in India

3.2. Treatment
The 34 m high LNG tank imposes a static design load of 230 kPa. In addition a maximum peak
ground acceleration of 0.25 g is to be expected during a possible earthquake event.
Ground treatment was therefore required to
a) Increase the density of the soil and there by reduce the settlements of the tank
under the static load to within 120 mm.
b) Reduce the liquefaction potential in the sand layer by strengthening the subsoil and
also by providing effective drainage to prevent excess pore water pressure.
Vibro stone columns (Vibro Replacement) was selected to achieve the above objectives. The
coarse permeable material of the column allows rapid dissipation of excess pore water pressure.
The columns made up of highly compacted granular material act as a flexible reinforcement in the
soil to increase the overall shear strength of the treated soil. During the process of column
installation, sandy soil between the columns is densified.

3.3. Design
The responsibility of design and execution of stone column works was given to Keller.
Curve A in Figure 5 shows the required CPT for no liquefaction as per Stark & Olson (1995).
Curve B shows the existing Qc which is less than the theoretically required value. Ground
improvement works were designed using the Priebe method. The installation of well compacted
stone columns which are able to carry a large portion of the shear forces during an earthquake
results in a reduction in the requirement for the Qc value in the soil between the columns (now
shown by curve C).
As per the design, 1.0 m diameter columns on a square grid spacing of 2.4 m c/c to a depth of
16 m from the existing ground level were to be installed. The annular width of treatment was
extended beyond the tank edge by 10 m.
Cone Resistance (MPa)

0
Curve A - Required Qc with out SC
Curve B - Pre CPT

0
2.5

Curve C - Required Qc with SC

Curve D - Post CPT

7.5
10
12.5

Depth (m)

15

Figure 5: Typical CPT test results

17.5
20

10

15

20

R. Wegner Dr. V. R. Raju A.Vetriselvan

3.4. Column Installation and Quality Control

The columns were installed using the Keller S 230 vibrator. The column installation process was
monitored using the computerized M4 monitoring system. The position and the current drawn by
the vibrator were continuously measured online and displayed to the operator. A hard copy was
also produced for review by the Engineer.
The hard copy consist of two curves 1) Depth Vs Time and 2) Current Vs Time. The typical print
out is shown in Figure 6. The left curve shows the time on the vertical axis and depth on the
horizontal axis. This plot provides a comprehensive record of the movement of the vibrator.
There are three distinct phases of installation. The first phase is penetration of the vibrator to the
required depth for the first time. In the second phase, the hole is flushed by withdrawing the
vibrator and repenetrating in to the hole. In the third phase, the vibrator is lifted up by about
1.0 m and then repenetrated by about 0.7 m in to the stone mass to form a highly compacted
stone column. The plot shows the entire length of the stone column built up to the required level.
The plot on the right side shows current drawn by the vibrator on the horizontal axis and time
on the vertical axis. The current drawn is used as an indicator of the compactive effort of the
vibrator. It can be seen that as the vibrator repenetrates the column, there is a sharp increase in
the amperage indication compaction.
CPT tests were carried out 7 days after column installation was completed. Curve D in Figure 5
shows a typical post column installation CPT result.
The curve shows that the post CPT values are well above the required values. At certain depths
lenses of cohesive soils reduced the test results to values similar to the original value. However,
these cohesive lenses are not susceptible to liquefaction.

Figure 6: Typical M4 column

installation record

CONCLUSIONS
Post compaction CPT testing has shown that Vibro Compaction is a reliable technique for the
offshore densification of loose sands at Karwar. Similar testing has also proven that Vibro
Replacement is able to mitigate liquefaction potential and reduce settlements to within tolerance
limits for large and settlement sensitive LNG tanks at Hazira.
In the case of the LNG tank foundation, Vibro Replacement has proven to be economical as
compared to conventional rigid foundations which require extensive reinforcement to counter
large horizontal forces in the event of an earthquake.

Application of Vibro Techniques for Infrastructure Projects in India

REFERENCES
Priebe, H. J. (1995), The Design of Vibro Replacement, Ground Engineering Vol 28, No 10.
Priebe, H. J. (1998), Vibro Replacement to Prevent Earthquake Induced Liquefaction,
Ground Engineering Vol 39, No 10.
Raju, V.R., Wegner. R., Godenzie. D. (1998), Ground Improvement using Vibro Techniques
Case Histories from S.E. Asia, Ground Engineering conference
Stark, T.D. and Olson, S.M. (1995), Liquefaction Resistance Using CPT and Field Case Histories,
Jl of Geotechnical Engineering, ASCE, 121.