Austria have been stabilized successfully by lime columns (Brandl, 1973).

The column
diameter was small, 0.08 to 0.5 m.

2.6. Pipe Jacking.

2.6.1.Excavations for Pipe Jacking.
Driven sheet piles have been used to increase the stability of the excavations required
for pipe jacking. However, accidents have occurred, when the holes, which were required
for the pipe jacking, were cut through the sheet pile wall. The soft soil around the
excavation flowed into the excavation through the hole due to the low shear strength of
the clay. This type of failure occurs when the shear strength of the soft soil is low and the
total overburden pressure at the level of the hole is about 6 cu,soil where cu,soil is the
undrained shear strength of the soft clay at the level of the hole (Broms and Bennermark,
1968).
Lime and lime/cement columns can be used as shown in Fig. 7 to increase the
stability. The pipes can be jacked trough the column wall, when the shear strength of the
columns is less than about 300 to 500 kPa. Columns could also be required below the
bottom of the excavation to prevent failure by bottom heave.
The circumferential force in the column wall will be high when the diameter of the
column wall is large. A double column wall might be required to improve the transfer of
the circumferential load through the columns. It is important that the overlap of the
columns is sufficient, at least 60 to 100 mm, depending on the diameter of the columns. It
is often an advantage to use large diameter columns when the diameter of the excavation
is large. Wale beams are normally required around the perimeter of the circular column
wall to prevent failure of the column wall if the overlap is not sufficient. The wale beams
are usually designed to resist the total circumferential force.
Lime/cement columns have been used e.g. in Stockholm at Smista Park and at
Ärvinge by Sellgren (1991) to support an up to 8 m deep excavation in soft clay. The
diameter of the lime/cement columns was relatively large, 0.8 m, to improve the transfer
of the lateral earth pressure to the columns. Columns were also placed below the bottom
of the excavation to increase the stability with respect to bottom heave. The average shear
strength of the soft clay was low, about 15 kPa.

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