CONSTRUCTION METHODS &

TECHNIQUES

Ground Improvement Techniques

Some cases
Prof. Sanjay Bhoyar
NICMAR SANJAY BHOYAR
Case-1:
 Improvement of open stack ground
behind 7th cargo berth at Kandla Port
 Area: 250m x 90m
 Ground strata: 20m deep marine clay
 Shear strength = 20kN/m2
 Design load intensity: 50kN/m2
 Pile foundation is impracticable & very
expensive
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Solution:
Sand Drains & Pre-loading
 Sand drains:
 200 mm dia.
 1.5m c/c
 500 mm thick sand blanket
 Soil Preload
 6m high
 Monitoring for:
 Settlement, &
 Pore water pressure
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 Pore water pressure stabilized within
6 months
 Pre-load removed
 Shear strength = 45 kN/m2
 Berth # 7 is operational for last 6
years, &
 Open stack ground is performing
satisfactorily

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Case -2:
 Residential project (Kerala):
 45 acre land
 48 (G+1) independent bunglows
 Amenities
 Site : low lying
 1.2 m fill in place
 Proposed finished GL - 0.8m above
 Soil strata:
 Silty clay
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 Finished GL (0.8m above)

0.00m
Red Earth fill (N=4)
1.20m
Very soft silty clay (N= 1; PI=78%)
6.50m
Soft silty clay (N=2-4; PI=63%)
9.00m
Loose dirty fine sand (N=2-4)
12.50m
Loose clayey sand (N=9)
14.20m
Dense clayey sandy silt (N=30-40)
18.00m
Very Dense clayey sandy silt (N=>100)
22.00m
Weathered rock

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 Coefficient of consolidation
 Cr = 2 Cv
 Design load = 6.8 t/m2
 Load of fill = 3.8 t/m2
 Structural load = 3.0 t/m2
 Preload: Expected to take > 3 yrs
 Conventional sand drains
 More construction time
 Large amount of labour
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Solution:
PVDs & Pre-loading:
 Pre-fabricated band drains
 For 95% consolidation within 60 days
 Triangular pattern @ 0.9m c/c
 Preload: 3.0m
 Estimated settlement: 0.9 – 1.2m
 Observed settlement: 0.78 – 0.85m
(90%)

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 Construction of 2 buildings :6 months
 Settlement after construction
 145mm & 80mm
 Acceptable settlement = 40mm
 Settlement stabilized within 15 days
 Uniform settlement due to RCC strip
footing

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Defect & rectification in GI:
 Settlement = 0.8m
 Effective preload = 2 to 2.2m
 Further increase in finished GL by
0.8m
 Preload removed : 1.4m
 Owner conducted plate load test on
compacted soil at foundation level
 Less settlement

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 Deficiency in preload: 1.5 t/m2

 Increased Pre-load for remaining

sections of the project
 Settlement during preloading
 0.9 m – 1.0 m
 Settlement after construction
 30 mm

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Case -3:
 Project: Culverts along Saket- Balkum Road,
Thane
 Size of culvert: 6m x 30m (6 no.)
 Traffic: Heavy
 Design load : 80 kPa
 Site location: Along Thane creek
 Ground profile:
 Top 1m : Filling
 1- 2.5m : Soft clay
 2.5- 6m : Moderately stiff clay
 Below 6m : Weathered rock

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Solution:
Rammed stone columns:
 Ground Improvement: Stone Columns
 No of SCs: 45
 Diameter: 0.9m
 Depth: 9.0m
 Spacing: 2.0m ; Pattern: Triangular
 Open mandrel driving
 Gravel with 20% sand
 Rammed with 2 ton falling through 1.5m ht
 Top of column is rammed by 4 ton hammer

 Result:
 SBC = 117 kPa (from 48 kPa)

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Case -4:
Kansai International Airport

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Key Features
 Located on a biggest man-made islands in
Osaka Bay, Japan
 Constructed cost over $15 billion
 The island of 4 X 1 km, constructed in
around 18m of water, entirely from landfill
 Project Started in 1986
 Opened for flights in 1994
 ASCE named KIA the #2 civil engineering
project of the 20th century, second only to
the Panama Canal

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Construction of Airport

Stage Activity Time

I Subsurface 1 year
Investigation
II Sea Wall 2 years
Construction
III Landfilling 4 years
IV Terminal 2 years
Construction

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Subsurface of the Kansai Airport
Foundation

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Seawall Construction
 Up to 40 ft. above sea level
 Tripod blocks on seaward side for
dissipation of wave energy

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Seawall After Completion
Seawall
Construction

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Mechanism of Sand Drains

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Mechanism of Sand Drains

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Application of One Million Sand
Drain at KIA

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Settlement Predictions
 Lack of experience with construction
on deep deposit of clay
 Expected settlement = 6-8 m
 Actual settlement = 9 m (by the end
of island construction in 1990)
 It continued at the rate of 50cm/year

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What Went Wrong in Predictions?
 Un-conservative estimation of
consolidation settlement
 Wrong estimate of the time required
for completion of consolidation
settlement
 Ineffectiveness of the sand drains in
achieving the required success-100%

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Coping With The Problem of
Continued Settlement
 Basement of the terminal was lined
with a quarter of a million tons of iron
ore.
 Result: Island sank faster than the
building it is trying to hold
 Installation of hydraulic jacks under
the columns
 Result: No differential settlement
between the columns of entire building
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NICMAR SANJAY BHOYAR
Learning From Mistakes

 Using actual settlement data obtained

from 1st phase of project
 Analysis of 400-m-deep boring
exploration
 State-of-the-art soil test methods
 Expected Settlement = 18 m

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Case -5:
Brisbane Inner City Bypass:
 Soil strata:
 1.5- 2m : stiff clay
 10- 12m : marine clay
 Beneath: bedrock

 Phase – I
 Wick drains
 1.5 m spacing
 Grid pattern

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 Phase-II
 Dynamic replacement stone column
 700mm Diameter ; 5m spacing
 5-7m deep
 Bailer & ramming method
 Material:
 Demolished concrete & rock fill (1m)
 Phase-III
 Granular blanket: 1m
 Dynamic compaction by 10T ponder
 Surcharge material added
 6 months

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