GEOTECHNICAL

ENGINEERING

ECG 503

LECTURE NOTE 11

TOPIC : 4.0 GROUND

IMPROVEMENT TECHNIQUES
LEARNING OUTCOMES

Learning outcomes:
At the end of this lecture/week the students would
be able to:

Understand natural slope and made

engineered soil slope assessment which
include rainfall induced failure and role
of suction.
TOPIC TO BE COVERED

Objective and Principles of Ground

Improvements
Types of Ground Improvements
With Respect of Cohesionless and
Cohesive Soil
Mechanical Methods and Objective;
Stone Column, Dynamic
Compaction, Vibrofloatation and
Vibro Compaction.
Vibrating
Plates

for compacting very small

areas
effective for granular
soils
Smooth-wheeled Roller
Smooth Wheeled
Roller

Compacts effectively only to 200-300 mm;

therefore, place the soil in shallow layers
(lifts)
Sheepsfoot Roller to Compact Clay Soils
Sheepsfoot
Roller

Provides kneading action; walks out after compaction

Very effective on clays

Impact Roller to Compact the Ground
Impact Roller

Provides deeper (2-3m) compaction. e.g., air field

Dynamic Compaction
- pounding the ground by a heavy weight
Suitable for granular soils, land fills and
karst terrain with sink holes.

solution cavities in
Pounder (Tamper) limestone

Crater created by the impact

(to be backfilled)
Pounder (Tamper)
Mass = 5-30 tonne
Drop = 10-30 m
Vibroflotation
Suitable for granular soils
Practiced in several forms:
vibrocompaction
stone columns
vibro-replacement

Vibroflot (vibrating unit)

Length = 2 3 m
Diameter = 0.3 0.5 m
Mass = 2 tonnes
(lowered into the ground
and vibrated)
Vibroflotation
Vibroflotation
Stone Columns

vibrator makes a
hole backfilled ..and compacted Densely compacted
hole in the weak stone column
ground
 Blasting
For densifying granular soils

Fireworks? Aftermath of blasting

Earthmoving Equipment

Large Excavator (see minivan on left for

scale)
Grader for spreading soil
Bulldozer for spreading soil
evenly
Loader
Backhoe
Crawler mounted Hydraulic
Excavator
Rock Breaker
 Filed Compaction
Different types of rollers
(clockwise from right):
Smooth-wheel roller
Vibratory roller
Pneumatic rubber tired roller

Sheepsfoot roller
 Big weights dropped
from 25 m, compacting
the ground.

Craters formed in compaction

GEOTEXTILES