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2020 Jarmo Erho

SOIL CONSTRUCTION, Content of course:
1. SOIL AND SOIL TYPES
• How do we describe soil types and how are they suitable for different uses?
2. SOIL CONSTRUCTION PROPERTIES
• What are the different characteristics of soil construction and what does the
classification of digging mean?
3. LOWERING THE GROUDWATER AND TRENCH SUPPORTING
• When do we need to lower groundwater and when must we use supporting
walls in soil construction?
• What are the methods of the previous?
4. VOLUME TERMS OF SOIL MATERIALS
• What volume terms do we need in soil construction and why?
• Video ” Soil excavation and transfer” 24 min
5. MACHINE CAPACITY OF SOIL CONSTRUCTION AND HOW THE MACHINE
COSTS CONSIST?
• What does shift capacity mean?
• What do soil construction site costs consist of?
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Content of course:
6. MEASUREMENTS IN SOIL CONSTRUCTION AND MACHINE AUTOMATION
• What does machine automation mean?
• What does data models mean in the production of soil construction?
7. SOIL CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY AND TRANSPORT
• What machines are used in soil construction?
• What are the machinery accessories?
• Why is compaction important in soil construction?
• Video ”Compacting” 22 min
8. SOIL CONSTRUCTION WORK PLANNING
• Why and how should the mass transfer plan be made?
• Video ”Work planning” 15 min
9. SOIL CONSTRUCTION WORK ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS
• Is there any harm to the environment from soil construction site?
• What are environmentally-friendly civil engineering products?
• Video ”Safety, Environment and Quality” 24 min

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Content of course:
10. STRENGTHENING THE GROUND
• How do we strengthen the loose subsoil?
• Video “Subsoil reinforcement work“ 14 min
11. GEOSYNTHETICS
• What are the geosynthetical products in soil construction?
• When and where do we use them?
12. EXTRACTION OF SOIL MATERIAL AND PROCESSING OF AGGREGATES
• How are aggregates processed?
• What are the quality requirements of aggregates?
• Video ”Rock crushing” 15 min

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THE BASICS OF SOIL CONSTRUCTION

1. SOIL IN FINLAND
Description and suitability for different uses of soil types
- Mineral soils the proportion of organic matter is very low.
- Mineral soils are divided into two groups:
- Moraine soil types and graded mineral soils.
- Soil types get their name from the soil texture or soil texture, which are the
predominant.
- Organic soils are composed primarily of organic matter or organic matter
they contain more than 6 percent by weight.

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The most important for the land use soil types
properties include:
- granular composition
- tightness
- stone and block content
- water content, and
- the amount of organic matter

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To soil construction eligibility affects also:
- The soil layer order
- carrying capacity
- digging features
- ground frost features
- the water permeability as well as
- topography and
- groundwater level fluctuations

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Soil construction eligibility

- To determine eligibility of soil is therefore needed the geological structure

information from area of the construction and on what type of soil groups
soil material belongs.
- To fit for industrial raw material soil types are also often fulfill the strict
quality requriements (purity of material, for example. humic content).
- The difficulty of the digging different soil types we have defined in its own
dig classes.
- They affect the hardness of soil, resistance of digging, as well as the soil
bearing capacity.

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Friction and cohesion soils
- Soil types in Finland based on geological formation, texture and humic
content. We have four different soil types:
1. Moraine soils
= Granular soils
2. Coarse-grained soils
= Graded mineral soils
3. Fine-grained soils and
4. Organic soils.
- Moraine and coarse-grained soils also called Granular soils, soil types
where the strength is caused mainly by friction between the granules.
- Fine granular or cohesive soils strength resulting mostly cohesion in
between the granules, cohesion.

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Moraine soils (not graded)
- Finland's most common soil type.
- In moraine soil there is all or a number of different-sized soil types mixed with
each other..
- Moraine is colored gray or gray-brown.
- Moraine granules are angular or just a little worn out.
- Moraine usually contains rocks and boulders.
- Moraine material is due to the clay staining and stone surfaces covered with fine
material.
- Moraine a high concentration of fine particulate material is when dry dusty.
- Moraine areas, groundwater is usually close to the surface because of poor water
permeability of the soil type.

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Moraine soils
Gravel moraines
- The gravel moraine (SrMr) share of our moraines is about 10%.
- Gravel moraine can be used as a gravel substitute for building
material, if material is not frost-susceptible.
- Often contains a lot of rocks and boulders.

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Moraine soils
Sandy moraines
- Our moraine about 75% belongs to sandy moraine (Mr).
- In construction, sand moraine soil is used for the sealing material in
weir, as well as road embankments.
- Generally frost-susceptible and, therefore, poor construction material.

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Moraine soils
The fine powder content moraines (moraines silt)
- Fine moraines (HMr) share of our moraine is about 15%
- Moraine which contains about 3-5 percent by weight clay permeability is
remarkably weak.
- In Lapland moraines are quite common fine moraines.
- Teccnically suitable for building only soil weir sealing material or road
embankment mass.
- The fine powder content impairs the suitability of building material.

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Moraine cutting, where the enabled in is a large rocky gray moraine. Below is a little rocky brownish
sandy moraine. It is understood that there is differences digging these moraines.

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Graded mineral soils
- Graded mineral soils are divided into:
- Coarse-grained (boulders, stones, gravel, sand)
- The fine granules (silt, clay) soil type groups.
Boulders

Stones
Gravel
Sand
Silt
Clay

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Graded mineral soils
Boulders and stones
- Boulder and stones are the predominant ingredients blocks or stones
with a diameter of more than 60 mm.
- The blocks are usually jagged, while the stones are rounded corners.
Agriculture and forestry in terms of boulder fields are wastelands, little
stones, in turn, either wasteland or poor's growing woodlands.
- If the deposits are large enough and affordable in terms of transport,
they are suitable for use as raw material for aggregates.

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Boulder and stone deposits, in particular in the mountains, ridges and
ocean beaches.

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Such stonefield are said to "damn field”.

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Graded mineral soils
Gravel
- Gravel Soil type predominant ingredients are gravel varieties Ø 60-2 mm.
- Gravel soils usually contain the stone and sand, sometimes even finer
material.
- Technically, gravel is a valuable material for concrete aggregates, as well
as road-building material.

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A typical the gravel pit area in Finland.

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Graded mineral soils
Sand
- Sand predominant ingredients are sorting Ø 2.0 to 0.2 mm, GEO-
classification: coarse and medium sand).
- Sand granules are clearly visible from with the naked eye and with the
fingers separated, pure and usually reddish.
- Sand material is usually loose. It is highly permeable to water, so water
retention in sand is low.

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Graded mineral soils
Sand
- Coarse sand is formed mostly coarse material from Ø 2.0 mm to 0.6 mm.
- Coarse sand used in road embankments coatings and building material.
- As a general rule the road filter layer is made of sand.
- In addition to the sand used in the glass industry as a raw material.

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Graded mineral soils
Sand
- Fine sand (GEO classification: medium sand) comprised almost entirely
of the finest granular Ø 0.6 to 0.2 mm.
- The fine sand is needed for instance. in the manufacture of concrete,
bricks main raw material, as well as the roofing felt industry.

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A typical the sand pit area in Finland.

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Road or street structures quality requirements
- The filter layer is built with the sand, which fulfills the quality control of the E
module requirement 50 MN/m2.
- Distributing layer is built with gravel and crushed stone # 0-90 mm or 0-100
mm, which fulfills the quality control of the E module requirement 200
MN/m2.
- The Load-bearing layer is built crushed stone # 0-50 mm or 0- 55 mm,
which fulfills the quality control of the E module requirement 280 MN/m2.
- Aggregates (crushed rocks) and sand quality is monitored structure
samples at the work site.

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Graded mineral soils
Silt and Clay
- Clay contains clay species placed Ø <0.002 mm at least 30 percent by weight.
- The coarser clay (Ø from 0.002 to 0.0002 mm) are light gray, "flowable" and
when dry it’s hard.
- The finer clay (Ø <0.0002 m), by contrast, is a dark brownish gray, tenacious,
and when dry it’s hard.
- If the fine particulate material content, 0.002 mm > 30% = Clay
- If the fine particulate material content, 0.002 mm < 30% = Silt

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Graded mineral soils
Silt and Clay
- The main use of fine-grained soils is a brick industrial raw material.
- Fine granular soil types as a building material is less use.
- Clay is used some extent as a concentrate of soil weir and silt in road
embankments, if silt is dry.

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Near the sea in Finland has a lot of clay.

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Organic soils
Peat
- Peat is formed by the remains of plants, mosses, grasses, and weeds.
- Peat is used as fuel in thermal power plants.
- Peat in is suitable for gardens and greenhouses, as well as livestock
shelters sanitation.
- Lighter than water peat can be used as absorbent for in combating oil
pollution.

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Peat in Finland

We have lot of swamps in Finland.

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Swamps are full of peat
Moss peat layer will grow
over time.
In Finland it will thicken at an
average speed of 0.5 mm per
year.
For example, the 8000 years
old swamp peat layer could peat
therefore be four meters
thick.

mud and sludge

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First swamp is dried by digging ditches

Production will begin when the swamp

has dried.

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Peat is collected and is driven in large heaps

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In heaps it is dried more before being loaded onto trucks and taken to the
thermal power plant

Peat can be lifted from one swamp 15-25 years.

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Then the trucks export peat to the power plant and it burned to heat.

District heating power plant in Oulu →

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