04/04/2023

Soil Improvement techniques

Compaction & Consolidation

Introduction
An ideal building site is one whose foundation soils provide for a safe as well
as an economical design, be it for a building, pavement, or dam. Ideally, the
foundation soils will possess the following properties:
1. have adequate strength and good bearing capacity,
2. will undergo minimum deformation and minimum consolidation under the imposed
loads,
3. will undergo minimum volume change from swelling, shrinkage, or dynamic loading,
4. will retain strength and resist deformation with time, and
5. possess special qualities that may be desired for a particular construction (e.g.,
favorable water table, permeability, minimal construction problems).

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Introduction
Engineer may frequently be faced with the choice of one of the
following:
1. adapt the design details to be compatible with the soil
conditions (e.g., use piles, increase footing dimensions to
compensate for low bearing capacity),
2. alter or improve the soil properties toward a designated goal
(e.g., increase strength, reduce permeability, reduce
compressibility), and
3. abandon the site in favor or one with more favor- able soil
characteristics.

Introduction
Encompassed in stabilization/improvement are a number of
techniques:
• Densification of soil via compaction, precompression
(preloading), drainage, vibrations, or a combination of these
• Mixing or impregnation of the soil formation with chemicals or
grouting, or using geosynthetics to develop a more stable base
for compaction
• Replacement of an undesirable soil with a suitable one under
controlled conditions

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Why the need for soil improvement?

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Why the need for soil improvement?

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Geosynthetic Reinforcement
• Soil is stronger in compression than in TENSION
• To improve strength in tension, geosynthetics placed in soil for soil reinforcement.
Geomembranes
The materials themselves are relatively thin, impervious sheets of polymeric material
used primarily for linings and. Thus the primary function is always containment as a
liquid or vapor barrier or both.

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DEWATERING
Dewatering is a process in which groundwater contained within
the site's soil is extracted, ensuring a stable foundation.

Water is discharged Through

1. Storm drains
2. Municipal sewer System
3. Irrigation Purposes

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What is compaction?
A simple and low-cost mechanical process for ground improvement
technique, where the soil is densified through external compactive
effort (mechanical force) in order to reduce permeability, settlement;
and to increase the shear resistance and bearing capacity
Water acts as a softening agent,
allowing particles to slip over each
Compactive other and move into densely packed
effort position

+ air =

Filed Compaction
Different types of rollers (clockwise
from right):
 Smooth-wheel roller
 Vibratory roller
Pneumatic rubber tired roller
 Sheepsfoot roller

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Field Compaction
Smooth Wheeled Roller

Compacts effectively only to 200-300 mm; therefore,

place the soil in shallow layers (lifts)
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Field Compaction
Vibrating Plates

 for compacting very small areas

 effective for granular soils

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Field Compaction
Sheepsfoot Roller

 Provides kneading action; “walks out” after compaction

 Very effective on clays

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Field Compaction
Impact Roller

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

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Dynamic Compaction

Pounder (Tamper)
Mass = 5-30 tonne
Drop = 10-30 m

Dynamic Compaction

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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)

Vibroflotation
Suitable for granular soils
Practiced in several forms:
 vibro–compaction
 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)

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Vibroflotation

Vibroflotation

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Vibroflotation

Vibroflotation

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Vibroflotation

Vibroflotation

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Stone Columns

vibrator makes a
hole backfilled ..and compacted Densely compacted
hole in the weak stone column
ground 35

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Compaction Curve
Dry density (d)

Densely packed soil grains provide

- good strength and stiffness

d, max - low permeability

Compaction performance
in lab measured through
dry density- moisture
content relation

optimum
water content Water content

Compaction Curve
What happens to the relative quantities of the three phases
with addition of water? air
water
Dry density (d)

soil

difficult to expel all air

lowest void ratio and

highest dry density at
optimum water
content

Water content

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Zero Air Void Curve

Dry density (d) - corresponds to 100% saturation

Zero air void curve (S=100%)

Gs  w
Eq :  d 
1  wGs
S<100%
S>100% (impossible)

All compaction points should lie

to the left of ZAV curve

Water content

Line of Optimum
Dry density (d)

Compaction curves
for different efforts

Line of optimum

Water content

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What is Consolidation?
• Removal of water from a saturated soil (clay)
over a long period of time , due to the
application of a load, resulting in a decrease
in volume

• Important to know the amount of settlement

and time it will take to settle
settlement

Granular soils are freely drained,

and thus the settlement is
instantaneous.
time
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which could be several years.

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Consolidation
• Consolidation is the process by which excess pore pressure are
dissipated resulting in a decrease in volume
• The process involves gradual compression occurring simultaneously
with flow of water out of the mass and with a gradual transfer of the
applied pressure from the pore water to the soil skeleton

• The process opposite to consolidation is called swelling, which involves

an increase in the water content due to an increase in the volume of
the voids.

Consolidation
• Consolidation may be due to one or more of the following factors:
o External static loads from structures.
o Self-weight of the soil such as recently placed fills.
o Lowering of the ground water table due to pumping

• Time required for completion of consolidation process depend on;

o The soil type
o Thickness of soil layer
o Permeability of soil

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