GROUND IMPROVEMENT TECHNIQUES FOR HIGHWAYS1 Seminar

MODERN GROUND
IMPROVEMENT
TECHNIQUES FOR
HIGHWAYS
INTRODUCTION
 Transportation contributes to the
economic,industrial,social and cultural development of
any country.
 Transportation by road or highways is the only mode
which could give maximum service to one and all.
 When the soil on a project site cannot support the
loads, ground improvement to increase strength,
reduce compressibility, and enhance performance
under applied loadings may be required.
 The field of ground improvement techniques has been
recognized as an important and rapidly expanding one.
 Various methods are discussed below:
METHODS FOR GROUND
IMPROVEMENT
1. VERTICAL DRAINS
2. SOIL NAILING
3. STONE COLUMNS
4. VIBRO COMPACTION
5. DYNAMIC COMPACTION
6. VIBRO PIERS
VERTICAL DRAINS
 These consist of a column of pervious material
placed in cylindrical vertical holes at sufficiently
close spaces.
 All drains should be connected at the ground
surface to a drainage blanket.
 Vertical drains accelerate consolidation by
facilitating drainage of pore water.
 Vertical drains are laid out in rows, staggered, or
aligned to form patterns of equilateral triangles or
squares.
 Two types of drains are discussed below
SAND DRAINS
• A sand drain is a simple

process, employing a column of
at least 10 inches in width
augered into ground to be
surcharged and consolidated.
• The column is then filled with

sand and connected to a free-
draining blanket of granular soil.
WICK DRAINS
• A wick drain is usually about,
4 inches wide, 1/8-inch thick
which acts as a high-
permeability conduit for water
to flow out of the soil and to
the surface.
• Most common application of

wick drains is for accelerating
the settlement rate of
compressible soils.
SOIL NAILING
 This ground reinforcement process uses steel tendons

which are drilled and grouted into the soil to create a
composite mass.
 A shotcrete facing is typically applied.
 Soil Nailing is an in situ technique for reinforcing,

stabilizing and retaining excavations and deep cuts.
 Soil nailing is not practical in:

1. Soft, plastic clays
2. Organics/Peat
3. Fills (rubble, cinder, ash, etc.)
APPLYING SHOTCRETE
HOLES DRILLED THROUGH

MACHINES
SOIL NAILING
STONE COLUMNS
• Also known as vibro-replacement or vibro-displacement, is a ground

improvement process where vertical columns of compacted
aggregate are formed through the soils to be improved.
• The vibrator first penetrates to the required depth by vibration and air
or water jetting or by vibration alone.
• Gravel is then added at the tip of the vibrator and progressive raising
and repenetration of the vibrator results in the gravel being pushed
into the surrounding soil.
• The soil-column matrix results in an overall mass having a high shear
strength and a low compressibility.
STONE COLUMNS
Click icon to add
Click icon to add
picture
picture
VIBRO COMPACTION
 It is a ground improvement process for densifying loose
sands to create stable foundation soils.
 The action of the vibrator, usually accompanied by water
jetting, reduces the inter-granular forces between the soil
particles, allowing them to move into a denser
configuration, typically achieving a relative density of 70 to
85 percent.
 Compaction is achieved above and below the water table.
PROCESS OF VIBRO COMPACTION
DYNAMIC COMPACTION
 Dynamic Compaction is the
dropping of heavy weights on
the ground surface to densify
soils at depth.
 It involves the repeated

dropping of large steel
tampers by means of crawler
cranes.
 Tampers typically range from

6 to 20 tons and are dropped
from heights of about 40 to
80 feet.
MACHINE WITH TAMPER COMPACTION BY TAMPER
VIBRO PIERS
 Vibro Piers, also known as aggregate piers, are typically
installed to intermediate depths of 5 to 20 feet for the
support of new loads.
 Vibro Piers are quick to install and very effective at

reinforcing the surrounding soil.
 Typical Vibro Pier construction begins with pre-drilling a

full-depth hole with a diameter that is equal to the final pier
design diameter.
 For soils in which the pre-drilled hole will not stay open,
the bottom feed process can be used to avoid the need for
casing.
AGGREGATE INTRODUCED
THROUGH PREDRILLED HOLES
BOTTOM FEED PROCESS

CONCLUSION
 Though the term Ground Improvement has been familiar
to Civil Engineers, the design approach is still empirical,
mostly based on past experience.
 The Importance of Ground Improvement is
immeasurable. Ground stability is a vital part of any
construction project.
 Method adopted to be applied on the field should be
according to site condition and economical.
 Application of Ground Improvement Techniques is not
only cheaper but also reduce the construction time
significantly.
 Ground improvement technique also plays a vital role in
the development of our mother land by 2020.
REFERENCES
 K.R.Arora, (2005)"Soil Mechanics and
Foundation Engineering", Standard Publishers
Distributors, Delhi.
 www.haywardbaker.com .
 TerraSystems(Geotechnical Contracting Firm) .
 www.google.com
 Rembco Geotechnical Contractors Inc.
THANK YOU

GROUND IMPROVEMENT TECHNIQUES FOR HIGHWAYS1 Seminar

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

GROUND IMPROVEMENT TECHNIQUES FOR HIGHWAYS1 Seminar

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

GROUND IMPROVEMENT TECHNIQUES FOR HIGHWAYS1 Seminar

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

What are some common ground improvement techniques discussed in the document?

How do vertical drains work to improve soil?

MODERN GROUND

• A sand drain is a simple

• The column is then filled with

• Most common application of

 This ground reinforcement process uses steel tendons

 A shotcrete facing is typically applied.

 Soil Nailing is an in situ technique for reinforcing,

 Soil nailing is not practical in:

HOLES DRILLED THROUGH

• Also known as vibro-replacement or vibro-displacement, is a ground

 It involves the repeated

 Tampers typically range from

 Vibro Piers are quick to install and very effective at

 Typical Vibro Pier construction begins with pre-drilling a

BOTTOM FEED PROCESS

You might also like