Lecture 2 Intro To Ground Improvement

LECTURE 2 INTRODUCTION TO GROUND IMPROVEMENT
LECTURE 2
INTRODUCTION TO GROUND
IMPROVEMENT
PROF. Ir. DR. HJ. RAMLI NAZIR
TROPICAL GEOENGINEERING CENTRE,
UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA
INSPIRING CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE MINDS
INTRODUCTION
• What is Ground Rehabilitation and its purpose ?
• A technique that improves the engineering properties of the treated soil

mass.
• Why do we need Ground Rehabilitation ?

• Due to rapid infrastructure development, there is going to be scarcity of
useful land. The general practice of contractors is to take up construction
work only on normal useful lands.
1
Never Get Mix Up !!!
 Ground Improvement
 Where poor ground conditions make traditional forms of construction expensive, it may be
economically viable to attempt to improve the engineering properties of the ground before
building on it. This can be done by reducing the pore water pressure, by reducing the volume
of voids in the soil, or by adding stronger materials.
 Ground Treatment
 Ground Treatment is an operation that consists in mixing naturally occurring soil with other
materials. By improving its characteristics it allows use of a soil that was unsuitable in its
natural state. In addition, this technique helps protect the environment: by using on-site
materials, rare natural resources are safeguarded (massive rock formations) and sources of
harm and stress are reduced.
 Ground Reinforcement
 Soil reinforcement is the act of improving soil strength to enable it support or carry more load.
Two common examples are:
1) Mixing a soil amendment such as lime or Cement or gravel into weak clayey soil
and recompacting (to form column) to improve soil bearing capacity (often done
under the road base in highway construction)
2) Installing plastic or composite webbing layers (called geogrid material) alternating

with compacted soil or putting reinforcement such as anchor, nails etc. to produce
a stronger sloped soil structure (often done on steep roadway embankments to
improve strength and stability).
2
Principle of ground Improvement
• Every technique should lead to an increase of soil shear strength,

a reduction of soil compressibility and a reduction of soil
permeability.
• The choice of ground improvement technique depends on

geological formation of the soil, soil characteristics, cost,
availability of backfill material and experience in the past.
• According to Bergado et al. (1996) they can be divided broadly into two categories.
• The first category includes techniques which require foreign materials and utilisation of
reinforcements.
• They are based on stiffening columns either by the use of a granular fill (stone columns),
by piling elements which are not reaching a still soil stratum (creep piles) or by in situ
mixing of the soil with chemical agents (deep stabilisation).
• The second category includes methods which are strengthening the soil by dewatering,
i.e. preloading techniques often combined with vertical drains.
3
Type of Ground rehabilitation
WHY NEED GROUND

IMPROVEMENT?
4
CHICKEN AND EGG

PROBLEM
Dilemma in GROUND IMPROVEMENT
2. Well, do you want 1. Doc, can you

me to open up guarantee I have
everything, big or 100% fix of all my
small one, to check problems?
for fixing.
3. Doc, his credit

card limit is up to
RM50,000 only.
10
5
Why need ground improvement?
• To fulfill settlement criteria

Double track - Settlement < 25mm over 6 months after CPC,
Highway - Settlement < 400mm for the first 7 years of service
Double track - 10mm differential settlement over 10m chord

Highway - 20mm differential settlement over 10m chord near structure for the first 7
years of service
• To enhance stability of embankment and prevent collapse
• Normally at soft ground area
Differential Settlement
6
7
Consolidation
• Additional load (fill)

• Fine grain soil
• Low permeability
• Consolidation settlement
Fill Dh
Fill
Clay Layer Clay Layer
V1 V2
V1 > V 2
8
Piston
Terzaghi’s Theory of Consolidation

Spring Water
(a) (b) (c)
(a) (b) (c)
Consolidation Mechanism
dh
9
CHOICES OF GROUND
IMPROVEMENT
10
Ground improvement methods

• Temporary surcharge
• Prefabricated vertical drains
• Excavate and replacement
• Counterweight berm
• Basal reinforcement
• Piled embankments
• Stone column
Temporary surcharge
11
Temporary Surcharge
Finish Surcharge
Level
Embankment
Embankment
Soft Soil
EMBANKMENT
Construction Surcharge Service Life of

Duration Embankment
Vertical Pressure from
Embankment Loading
Surcharge
Permanent
Loading
Log
Time
Log
Time
Permanent
Loading Only
Settlement
Service
Life
Primary Secondary Settlement
Consolidation Consolidation without
Permanent & Surcharge
Surcharge
Loading
12
Prefabricated Vertical Drains

(PVD)
13
Prefabricated Vertical Drains

(PVD)
• Commonly used to accelerate the rate of

consolidation and is use in conjunction with
surcharging
• Successfully used worldwide
• Cost effective (RM1.10 to 1.30 per m)
• PVD will not improve the subsoil shear strength at

time of installation
Drainage Path for Consolidation
2 HD 1m 10m
t  HD
HD 100
t 1
100
times
faster!
14
15
PREFABRICATED VERTICAL DRAINS
16
SMEAR
EFFECT
17
PVD can not

penetrate material
with SPTN value of 7
to 10 (depending on
machine capacity)
18
Vacuum preloading with PVD
19
Excavate and Replace
Excavate and Replacement
• To remove unsuitable and backfill with approved suitable/granular

material
- Organics
- High plasticity clays
• To reduce settlement
• To increase subsoil shear strength
20
Excavate and Replace
Soil Replacement
Proper Way for Excavation
EGL Excavation
Backfill for
Depth = D D construction
access or
working
platform
**The required excavation depth shall not be measured from

backfill for construction access or working platform
EGL
Backfill for
construction
access or
D working
platform
**The required excavation depth shall be measured from EGL.
21
Typical Cross Section
Temporary Sheet Pile

(Precaution measure)
Existing live
tracks
Effect of E&R on Subsoil Settlement
For a soft clay of 15m

thick under 2m high
embankment.
The subsoil settlement is reduced by 27% to 60%
22
Counterweight Berm
(for Stability of Embankment)
Counterweight Berm
• To improve the stability of the embankment
• Additional fill is required
• Additional space (land area) required
23
Counterweight Berm…
FOS b > FOS a

Counterweight
Berm Embankment
Soft
Layer FOS a = Not Sufficient =
can Fail
Firm FOS b = Better
Strata
WRONG SEQUENCE OF CONSTRUCTION
Surcharge level
2
3 1
WRONG = DANGEROUS = WILL FAIL
24
Construction of Counterweight Berm
Surcharge level
2
1 1
CORRECT !!!! = SAFE

Together with Embankment to height of BERM
Geotextile
BASAL REINFORCEMENT
25
Basal Reinforcement
• To enhance embankment stability against failure
• Strength will deteriorate when exposed to sunlight
• The primary direction (MD) shall be perpendicular to

the proposed track
• Geotextile WHOLE LENGTH across the

embankment SHALL BE ONE PIECE (DO NOT
ALLOW JOINTS)
• Design strength = 0.5 x ultimate strength
26
Basal Reinforcement
Basal Reinforcement
(One continuous
piece with no joint)
Basal Reinforcement
Primary Direction (in

Roll Directiron)
Pulling Pulling
Higher strength
Difficult to Pull Open
27
Basal Reinforcement
Primary Direction
Pulling
Pulling
Displacement of geotextile
-low strength  EASY to
SEPARATE by Pulling
Step 1 – Lay basal reinforcement
28
Lay
geotextile
in primary
direction
Lay
geotextile
in primary
direction
29
Lay
geotextile
in primary
direction
Lay
geotextile
in primary
direction
30
Lay
geotextile
in primary
direction
Step 1 – Finished lay basal reinforcement
31
Step 2 –Fill with appropriate material and

proper compaction

proper compaction
32

proper compaction
Fill up to
surcharge level
WRONG !!!!
Basal reinforcement
SHALL NOT be connected
by stitching in Primary
Direction. Primary
direction
33
Primary
direction
WRONG !!!!
Basal reinforcement SHALL
NOT be connected by
stitching in Primary
Direction.
WRONG !!!!
Bad Handling of Basal
reinforcement  BREAK
in Primary Direction
34
Good Practice (proper cover)
 GOOD !
 Proper storage of basal reinforcement –
covered with plastic sheet
BAD Practice (No proper cover)
 BAD !!!
 Improper storage of basal reinforcement
and the basal reinforcement also exposed
to sunlight prior to installation
 Cause loss of Strength (BAD)
35
Piled Embankment
Piled Embankment
• Design philosophy
- Design as a type of ground improvement works
• Design criteria
The FOS for pile is 1.5
• Embankment filling can be fast.
36
Piled Embankment
Embankment
Compressible
Layer
Firm
Strata
37
Must do proper curing 

ALWAYS WET (with WATER)
38
Final Profile
Abutment
Long Term
Profile
O.G.L.
Pile
Final Profile
Abutment
Long Term
Profile
O.G.L.
Pile Approach
Slab
Transition Embankment
Piles
39
Stone Column
Stone columns
• To model as composite soil
• Not suitable for undrained shear strength less than 10kPa
• Adequate fill height is required to prevent “mushroom” effect =

large differential settlement  more than 2.5m high
• Availability of aggregate
• Filling speed must be controlled

to prevent Failure
40
MECHANISM OF STONE
COLUMN
Sand platform
Sand
Soft clay platform
2 – 3D
Soft clay
Stone
column Stone
D column
D
Firm strata Firm strata
41
Bulging & General

Shear
Soil Arching
Large pile spacing Inadequate fill
thickness
Unsuitable fill materials
42
Mushroom Effect
Fig. 7. ‘Mushrooms’ and undulating surface on expressway.
MAIN
Mushrooms
43
Schematic of wet top feed method
Soft clay
Very soft clay
Soft clay
Schematic of dry bottom feed method
44
STONE COLUMNS
Top feed / Wet Method Bottom feed / Dry Method
LOOSE SAND – NEED

IMPROVEMENT?
45
46
Ground improvement for Culvert
Culvert – Shall sit on piles???
47
EXPENSIVE SOLUTIONS!!!!
Piled Culvert
How to solve this problem???
• Ground improvement at culvert area shall follow ground improvement

at adjacent area
• Complete ground improvement first, then construct culvert
• Temporary culvert required
• Oversize culvert
48
Main Considerations for Ground

improvement
• Technical Suitability
• Practicality and Availability of material
• Cost effectiveness
• Time effectiveness – shorter construction time
• Soil and groundwater conditions
Ranking of improvement Method

Method Cost Time Priority
Modification of Embankment v.low v.short 1
Geometry
Soft Soil Replacement v.low long 2
Surcharging low v.long 4
Staged Construction low v.long 3
Surcharge + Vertical Drains medium medium 5
Geosynthetics Reinforcement medium short 6
Piled Embankment high medium 7

Lightweight Fills high v.short 9
Vacuum Preloading v.high short 8
Stone Column v.high long 10
Jet Grouting v.high long 11
49
END OF LECTURE 2
50

Lecture 2 Intro To Ground Improvement

Uploaded by

Document Information

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

Lecture 2 Intro To Ground Improvement

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

LECTURE 2 INTRODUCTION TO GROUND IMPROVEMENT

INSPIRING CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE MINDS

• What is Ground Rehabilitation and its purpose ?

• A technique that improves the engineering properties of the treated soil

• Why do we need Ground Rehabilitation ?

Never Get Mix Up !!!

2) Installing plastic or composite webbing layers (called geogrid material) alternating

Principle of ground Improvement

• Every technique should lead to an increase of soil shear strength,

• The choice of ground improvement technique depends on

Type of Ground rehabilitation

WHY NEED GROUND

CHICKEN AND EGG

Dilemma in GROUND IMPROVEMENT

2. Well, do you want 1. Doc, can you

3. Doc, his credit

Why need ground improvement?

• To fulfill settlement criteria

Double track - 10mm differential settlement over 10m chord

• To enhance stability of embankment and prevent collapse

• Normally at soft ground area

• Additional load (fill)

Terzaghi’s Theory of Consolidation

(a) (b) (c)

Ground improvement methods

Construction Surcharge Service Life of

Prefabricated Vertical Drains

Prefabricated Vertical Drains

• Commonly used to accelerate the rate of

• Successfully used worldwide

• Cost effective (RM1.10 to 1.30 per m)

• PVD will not improve the subsoil shear strength at

Drainage Path for Consolidation

PREFABRICATED VERTICAL DRAINS

PVD can not

Vacuum preloading with PVD

Excavate and Replace

Excavate and Replacement

• To remove unsuitable and backfill with approved suitable/granular

• To increase subsoil shear strength

Excavate and Replace

Proper Way for Excavation

**The required excavation depth shall not be measured from

**The required excavation depth shall be measured from EGL.

Typical Cross Section

Temporary Sheet Pile

Effect of E&R on Subsoil Settlement

For a soft clay of 15m

The subsoil settlement is reduced by 27% to 60%

• To improve the stability of the embankment

• Additional fill is required

• Additional space (land area) required

FOS b > FOS a

WRONG SEQUENCE OF CONSTRUCTION

WRONG = DANGEROUS = WILL FAIL

Construction of Counterweight Berm

CORRECT !!!! = SAFE

• To enhance embankment stability against failure

• Strength will deteriorate when exposed to sunlight

• The primary direction (MD) shall be perpendicular to

• Geotextile WHOLE LENGTH across the

• Design strength = 0.5 x ultimate strength

Primary Direction (in