GEOTECHNICAL ENGINERING

DDA3423
DYNAMIC COMPACTION

1
 What is dynamic
compaction:
a method that is used to increase the density
of the soil.
process consists primarily of dropping a heavy
weight repeatedly on the ground at regular
intervals.
dropping of a heavy mass, generally of the
order of 10 to 25 tons, from a height of the
order of 10 to 20 metres.


2
Dropping of heavy mass:


1 2

3
 Degree of compaction:
The degree of compaction achieved at a
given site depends on the following three
factors like as :
 1. weight of hammer
 2. height of hammer drop
 3. spacing of location at which the hammer
is dropped


4
The depth of soil improvement depends on the
energy per drop and can be approximated by:


 when D = depth of improvement in meters

 n = an empirical coefficient that varies from about 0.3 to
1.0
 w = tamper weight in tons
 H = drop height in meters


The degree of soil improvement depends

primarily on the total energy applied to the
soils.
Example : the more energy input into the
5
soil, the greater the degree of
improvement. 
 Procedure of deep dynamic
compaction:
This mass of concrete,
weighing about 12,000 pounds,
was used for deep dynamic
compaction at the site of an
oil storage tank farm on
Hokkaido, in Japan.

Here the mass has been

lifted to a height of
about 50 feet, and is
ready to be dropped.
When it hits the surface
of the ground, the blow
will impart about
6 600,000 foot-pounds of
energy.
 These craters are the result
of dropping the weight.

The craters were surveyed to

determine the effects of the
treatment.

7
 References
 1. - Principle of Geotechnical Engineering (2007). ” Plasticity”
Adapted International Student Edition, Thomson, Braja
M.Das, California State University, Sacramento.
 2. Dynamic Compaction. U.S. Department of Transportation.
Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration, 1995.
 3. Lambe, T.W., and R.V. Whitman: “Soil Mechanics,” John
Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1969.
