Ground Improvement

Definitions: Enhancement of the in place properties of the ground by controlled application

of technique suited to the subsoil conditions.

Ashis Kumar Bera, PhD 1

 The Need for Engineered Ground Improvement

Where a project encounters difficult foundation conditions, possible alternative

solutions are

Avoid the particular site. Relocate a planned highway or development site.

Design the planned structure accordingly. Some of the many possible approaches are to
use a raft foundation supported by piles, design a very stiff structure which is not
damaged by settlement, or choose a very flexible construction which accommodates
differential movement or allows for compensation. The solution will depend on the
geotechnical performance criteria stipulated, which generally relate to stability,
deformation, and/or seepage.

Remove and replace suitable soils. Removing organic topsoil, which is soft, compressible,
and volumetrically unstable, is a standard precaution in road; foundation construction.

Attempt to modify the existing ground

Ashis Kumar Bera,. PhD 2
 The Need for Engineered Ground Improvement

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Similar options must be considered in the case where there is a lack of good-quality
granular materials needed for the construction of dams, embankments, roads, or
foundations.

As more and more land becomes subject to urban or industrial development, good
construction sites and borrow areas are difficult to find and the soil improvement
alternative more frequently becomes the best option, technically and economically.
.

Ashis Kumar Bera, PhD 3

 Classification of Ground Modification Techniques

. Here, four groups of ground improvement techniques are distinguished

Mechanical modification:

Soil density is increased by the application of short term external mechanical forces,
including compaction of surface layers by static, vibratory, or impact rollers and plate
vibrators; and deep compaction by heavy tamping at the surface or vibration at depth.

Ashis Kumar Bera, PhD 4

 Classification of Ground Modification Techniques

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Hydraulic modification:

Free-pore water is forced out of the soil via drains or wells.

In coarse-grained soils this is achieved by lowering the groundwater level through
pumping from boreholes or trenches; in fine-grained soils the long-term application of
external loads (preloading) or electrical forces (electrokinetic stabilization) is required.

 Traditional techniques have benefited from the development of geosynthetics , as in

the case of vertical drains.

Ashis Kumar Bera, PhD 5

 Classification of Ground Modification Techniques

Modification by inclusions and confinement: Reinforcement by fibers, strips, bars, meshes, and
fabrics imparts tensile strength to a constructed soil mass. In situ reinforcement is achieved by
nails and anchors. Stable earth-retaining structures can also be formed by confining soil with
concrete, steel, or fabric elements (including crib and bin walls and sandbags).
.

Ashis Kumar Bera, PhD 6

 Classification of Ground Modification Techniques

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Physical and chemical modification:

Stabilization by physically mixing additives with surface layers or columns of soil at depth.
Additives include natural soils, industrial by-products or waste materials, and cementations
and other chemicals which react with each other and/or the ground.

When additives are injected via boreholes under pressure into voids within the ground or
between it and a structure, the process is called grouting.

Soil stabilization by heating the ground and by freezing the ground are both considered
thermal methods of modification. Heating evaporates water and causes permanent changes in
the mineral structure of soils; freezing solidifies part or all of the water and bonds individual
particles together.

Ashis Kumar Bera, PhD 7

 Classification of Ground Modification Techniques

Any classification of ground modification techniques is to a degree arbitrary, particularly where

one or more of the possible physical, chemical, hydraulic, or mechanical processes are combined.

Ashis Kumar Bera, PhD 8

 Suitability, Feasibility, and Desirability

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The choice of a method of ground improvement for a particular object will depend on many
factors including:

Type and degree of improvement required

Type of soil, geological structure, seepage conditions

Cost (the size of the project may be decisive)

Availability of equipment and materials and the quality of work required

Construction time available

Possible damage to adjacent structures or pollution of groundwater resources

Durability of the materials involved (as related to the expected life of the structure for the given
environmental and stress conditions)
Ashis Kumar Bera, PhD 9
 Suitability, Feasibility, and Desirability

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The choice of a method of ground improvement for a particular object will depend on
many factors including:

Toxicity or corrosivity of any chemical additives (government regulations may restrict

the choice of additives)

Reversibility or irreversibility of the process

Reusability of components

Reliability of methods of analysis and design

Feasibility of construction control and performance measurements

Ashis Kumar Bera, PhD 10

 TRADITIONAL OBJECTIVES AND EMERGING TRENDS
Traditionally
. the aims of improving soils as foundation or construction materials have been
one or more of the following:
Increase strength, reduce erodibility

Reduce distortion under stress (increase stress-strain modulus)

Reduce compressibility (volume decrease due to a reduction in air voids or water content
under load)

Control shrinking and swelling (improve volume stability)

Control permeability, reduce water pressures, redirect seepage

Prevent detrimental physical or chemical changes due to environmental conditions

(freezing/ thawing, wetting/drying)

Reduce susceptibility to liquefaction

Reduce natural variability of borrow materials

Ashis Kumar Bera, PhD 11 or foundation soils
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