2011 Mid-Continent Transportation Research Symposium,

August 18-19, 2011, Ames

Case histories of ground

improvement methods for road
or airport construction

Jian Chu
James M. Hoover Chair Professor, Iowa State University
(Formerly Nanyang Technological University, Singapore)
Shuwang Yan
Tianjin University, China

1
 Outline
To illustrate BRIEFLY three ground
improvement methods and their
applications using three case histories
The three methods are
Vacuum preloading (+ surcharge) method
for soft clay treatment for a road
Explosive replacement method
for a highway construction
Drainage enhanced dynamic compaction
method for a runway construction

2
 Vacuum Preloading
(+ Fill Surcharge)
Method

3
 Principle

Vacuum Surcharge
Membrane

sand blanket

PVDs

80 kPa = 11.6 psi

4
Vacuum Preloading
Procedure

Install a layer of sand blanket and vertical drains

5
 Place horizontal pipes
6
 Install field monitoring instruments

7
 Seal with membranes

8
 Apply vacuum (or/and surcharge)
9
 Case Study: a road on very soft clay

51 m

+ +

SECTION I SECTION II

364.5 m

Borehole Field Vane

Water stand pipe Inclinometer
+ Multi-level settlement gauge Pore-water pressure transducer

10
 LL, PL and Wo Void ratio, e c u (kPa)
0 20 40 60 80 0 10 20 30 40
0.5 1 1.5 2
0 0
0

4 4
4

8 8 8
Depth (m)

Depth (m)
Depth (m)

12 12
12

16 16 16

Wo
PL
LL
20 20 20

20 kPa = 2.9 psi

11
 Vacuum load and settlement versus duration

12
 Duration (days)
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
0.0

-0.2
Settlement (m)

-0.4

-0.6

0.0 m
-0.8 2.0 m
5.5 m
7.5 m
-1.0 9.5 m
13.0 m
15.5 m
-1.2

Settlement measured at Section I

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 Duration (days)
0 20 40 60 80 100
0
1.0 m
Pore water pressure reduction (kPa)

-10 4.0 m
6.0 m
-20 8.5 m
11.0 m
-30 14.5 m
18.0 m
-40

-50

-60

-70

-80

-90

Pore water pressure reductions in Section 1

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 0
Initial
2
30 days Pore water
60 days
90 days
pressure
4
variation
6 versus
uo (h) depth
8
profiles
Elevation (m)

10

12

14
us
16

18
Section I
20
-100 -50 0 50 100 150 200 250
Pore w ater pressure (kPa)
15
 Undrained shear strength (kPa) Water content (%)
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 0 20 40 60 80
0 0
Before
2 2
After Before
After
4 4

6 6

8 8
Depth (m)

Depth (m)
10 10

12 12

14 14

16 16

18 18

20 20
16
Remarks on Vacuum Preloading
Method
Vacuum preloading is applicable to the
improvement of soft clay. It is cheaper and
faster compared to fill surcharge.
It is essential to measure both the settlements
and pore water pressures in order to calculate
the degree of consolidation and evaluate the
performance of soil improvement.
The effective depth of vacuum preloading is
much more than 10 m.

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 Explosive Replacement
Method

18
 Basic Idea
Explosive Compaction has been a method
used to compact loose granular soil for
many years.
Explosive Replacement is to use explosive
to remove a soft clay layer and replace it
with crushed stones. It is applicable when
the soft soil layer to be improved is
relatively shallow and stones are readily
available.
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 Pile of stone
Crushed Profile before
Profile beforeimproved
crushed
for filling improvement

1
stones
5~6

1
1:0
.
8

4~6
Section that has been

6.8~8.5
Treated
replacedsection of
0.8

by crushed Soft clay

the foundation
stones Charge

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21
 Profile after improved
Backfill

Soft
Silt
Clay

22
 Installation of charges

23
24
25
 Backfill and leveling off

26
 Case Study: A Highway Project

0.5
Vegetation
Silty soil

8
Soft clay

1.8
Gravel

Weathered sandstone bedrock

Soil profile along a valley

27
 Conceptual Design for the Highway

28
 0

Crushed stones,
densely packed

5~6 m
Crushed stone
embedded in clay
8~9 m
Silty gravel
9~10.5 m

Sandstone with top

1~2 m heavily
weathered

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 ks = 180 MPa

30
31
 Remarks on Explosive
Replacement
The method is faster than preloading and
cheaper than deep cement mixing. It is
effective when the soft soil layer to be
replaced is less than 10 m.
It is particularly suitable to road
construction in mountainous areas where
rocks are available (e.g., as part of
tunneling for the same road project).

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 Drainage Enhanced
Dynamic Compaction (DC)
Method

33
 Basic Idea

The dynamic compaction method has

often been used for the densification of
sand. It normally does not work for clay
because excess pore pressures cannot be
dissipated quickly.
The problem may be solved by installing
vertical + horizontal drains in soil.

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 Method

Vertical drains (~ 1.5 m spacing) with a

sand blanket (~ 1.5 m thick) on top can
be used to accelerate pore pressure
dissipation.
Compaction energy needs to be applied
from low to high: 1st round 900 kNm and
subsequent 1600 kNm after 80% pore
pressure dissipation.

35
Case Study: a Runway Project
km

The soil profile along the runway

36
 dt = 2.0 m

db = 2.5 m

W = 12 t =120 kN
H = 7.5 ~ 13 m

37
 ~ 1 day for 80% PWP to dissipate

Excess pore pressure change measured at a

section with PVDs.

38
 Avoid high-energy compaction

Excess pore pressure change measured during

high-energy compaction in a section with PVDs.

39
 Comparison
of CPT before
and after
compaction

40
 Remarks on DC

The method works for cohesive soil ONLY

when drains + sand blanket are used.
The compaction energy applied has to be
within a certain limit.
The method works better for soil with low
plasticity (PI <15%).
The depth of improvement < 6 m.

41
 Chu, J. Varaksin, S. Klotz, U. and Meng, P. (2009). Construction
Processes. State-of-the-art R eport, 17th International Conf on Soil
Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Alexandria, Egypt, 5-10 Oct. Vol.
4, pp. 3006-3135 (130 pages).
 Thank you!

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