rd

Proceedings of Softsoils 2014, October, 21-23 2014

CASE STUDY AND NUMERICAL MODELING FOR SOIL IMPROVEMENT

WITH VACUUM CONSOLIDATION METHOD
R.Karlinasari 1, M. Djunaidy 2 and M.R.Fakhrurrozy 3

ABSTRACT: The use of vacuum consolidation method in Indonesia, currently was being developed enough to
overcome the problems of soft soil. A power plant project located in Muara Bakti, Bekasi, West Java, Indonesia using a
vacuum consolidation method for the preparation of Power Building, Passive Storage, Coal Crusher and Coal Storages
area. Numerical modeling with the ability to model suction pressure as the effect of vacuum process were used to
analyze the soil improvement. The phenomenon of horizontal shrinkage were successfully modeled, so that it can
explain the differences in settlement resulting from vacuum consolidation method, compared to another method of soil
improvement.
Keywords: vacuum consolidation, suction pressure, numerical modeling, horizontal shrinkage

INTRODUCTION
To overcome problem of soft soil, especially in
constructing structure in low land area of sediment zone,
vacuum consolidation method currently was being
developed in Indonesia. A number of project have been
succesfully constructed in a soft soil with this kind
improvement method. Since the method produce
settlement behaviour which was different from the
traditional one, this paper is intended to imitate the
settlement phenomenon with a numerical model.

- GWL is located 0.8 m below existing ground surface

or GWL at + 0.2000.
- Layer (1) about 4 m thickness (0 4) is soft (sandy)
clay with SPT values between 2 4.
- Layer (2) about 6 m thickness (4 10) is very soft clay
with SPT values 2 - 4.
- Layer (3) about 3 m thickness (10 - 13) is soft
(organic) clay with SPT value 4.
- Layer (4) below level 13. Stiff clay with underlying
silty sand with SPT value more than 3.
The soil layer parameters is defined as in the table
below :
Table 1. Soft soil parameters

THE SOFT SOIL

The Power Plant Project is located in Muara Bakti,
Bekasi, West Java, Indonesia. The vaccuum
consolidation method has been applied to the preparation
of soil under Power Building, Passive Storage, Coal
Crusher and Coal Storages area. The area is ... ha,
devided by 4 zone ; A1, A2, B1 and C.
The soil investigation result indicated that there is
12.0 m 12.5 m depth of soft soil, with consistency of
very soft to soft soil.
The vaccuum method has been used with the
apllication of 80 kPa of suction and a 1.95 m of preload,
to simulate the working load of 11.25 ton/m2. The
vacuum consolidation was done at October 2013 to
January 2014.
The very soft to soft soil layer is defined as follow :
- Average existing ground surface is +1.000.
1

Lecture, Sultan Agung Islamic University, Semarang, INDONESIA

Director, PT. GEOTEKINDO, INDONESIA
3
Engineer, RK Engineering Consultant, INDONESIA
2

Items
Compressibility Index
(Cc)
Coefficient of
Consolidation (Cv)
Coefficient of
Consolidation (Ch)
Void ratio eo
Unit weight w

Units

Average Values
0.65

m2/year

15

m2/year

36

ton/m

1.57
1.54

THE MODEL
The numerical model was build by Geostudio
Program SEEP/W and SIGMA/W. The parameters is
defined base by soft soil parameters in Table 1, as
follow :

Table 2. SEEP/W parameters

Items
Saturated permeability
Ksat
Volumetric water
content at saturation
Coef. of volume
compressibility mv

Units
m/day

Average Values
2.16E-3
0.61

m2/kN

3.41E-06

Table 3. SIGMA/W parameters

Items
Modulus of Elasticity E
Cohesion c
Shear angle
Shear angle due to
suction b

Units
kN/m
kN/m2
deg
deg

Average Values
5600
25
8
8

The stage of vacuum method at site is as follow :

- Stripping and sand backfill for platform
- Install PVD and horizontal drainages.
- Install geomenbrane and geotextile.
- Install vacuum pumps and keep the pumps
running for 3 ~ 4 month.
- Backfill 1.95 m thickness soil
- Unload vacuum pressure based on the
settlement
monitoring
or
calculated
consolidation degree by Asaoka method.
- Remove surcharge soil in the center part to
meet the final level requirement.
An initial model were build base on the initial ground
water elevation. The maximum negative pressure head =
100 kPa. The pressure head contour is as follow :

Figure 1. Initial pressure head condition

The suction application to the soft soil layer, was
modelled by an aplication of head pressure equal to 80
kPa, to the border of the model. The border of vaccuum
head boundary condition is applied at the right, left and
upper side of the model.

Figure 2. Suction application boundary condition

The pressure head contour become as follow, the
upper layer of soil have a pressure head - 92 kPa.

Figure 3. Suction contour after vacuum apllied

From the pressure head contour above we can
observed that the negative pressure also become higher
at the right and left side of the model. The SIGMA/W
analysis of coupled consolidation, than performed,
deformation due to the application of vacuum pressure is
as follow :

Figure 4. Deformation due to the application of vacuum

pressure
From Figure 4. the phenomenon of so called
horizontal shrinkage were successfully modeled, the
deformation not only vertical deformation but also
lateral deformation towards the centre of the model. This
is because the vacuum pressure work not only vertically,
but it is work as a plane pressure on soil layers.

COMPARATION TO REAL MEASUREMENT

The actual measurement at site we had the vacuum
pressure is as follow :

Figure 5. Lateral deformation contour , max at 0.55 m

Figure 9. Measured vacuum pressure vs time
The maximum vacuum pressure is 95 kPA, it is in
confirmity to the model, which is produce the pressure
head of 92 kPa (Figure 3.)
The vertical settlement due to settlement plate
measurement is as follow :

Figure 6. Vertical deformation contour, max at 1.16 m

The applied preload 35 kN/m2 than modelled at
SIGMA/W program with coupled consolidation,
saturated zone only, the final result is as follow :
Figure 10. Measured vertical settlement
The maximum vertical settlement is 1.102 m, it is in
confirmity to the model, which is produce the vertical
settlement of 1.16 m (Figure 6.)

Figure 7. Vertical deformation contour, max at 1.16 m

Figure 8. Lateral deformation contour , maximum at

0.76 m

Figure 11. Measured lateral deformation

The lateral deformation due to inclinometer
measurement are 6.7 cm at inclinometer 1 and 25.5 cm

at inclinometer 2. This is lower than lateral deformation

produce by model, which is maximum at 76.0 cm
(Figure 5.)
CONCLUSION
The numerical model has been successfully in
confirmity represented the phenomenon of horizontal
shrinkage (onward lateral deformation), which is
observed during construction. That is explained why the
in vacuum consolidation method, the value of vertical
settlement were less than the vertical settlement usually
observed from the tradisional preload soil improvement,
because the lateral deformation tend to retain the vertical
settlement.
REFERENCES
GEOTEKINDO, 2013, Ground Improvement Proposal
For PT. Cikarang Listrindo Coal Fired Power Station
Power Plant Site At Muara Bakti, Bekasi, West Java.
GEOTEKINDO, 2014,
Final Vacuum Monitoring
Record A1-R1, PT. Cikarang Listrindo Coal Fired
Power Station Power Plant Site At Muara Bakti,
Bekasi, West Java.
Karlinasari,R.,Rahardjo,P.P., 2010, Unsaturated Shear
Strength Parameters of Tropical Volcanic Residual
Soils, UNSATURATED SOILS, Eduardo E. Alonso,
Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) Barcelona,
Spain; Antonio Gens, Technical University of
Catalonia (UPC), CRC PRESS, Barcelona, Spain.