GROUND IMPROVEMENT

By

Odu Paul Duku Erikole

Proposed Research Topic for

Master of Engineering Thesis
(Civil Engineering in Japan)

18th October 2016

The University of Tokyo

University of Miyazaki
Nagoya University

INTRODUCTION
It is economical to use shallow foundation for structures such as buildings, bridges,
highways, and dams as long as the soil close to the ground surface possesses
sufficient bearing capacity to withstand the weight of the superstructures above.
However, at construction sites where the top soil is unstable or unsuitable (loose or
soft), the loads from the superstructures need to be transferred to deeper firm strata
in order to ensure the durability of the structures. Under these conditions, deep
foundations like pile or pier foundations must be chosen. In developing countries like
South Sudan which lack the technology, equipment as well as expert knowledge
needed for the construction of deep foundations, alternative methods such as
improving the ground conditions become more inevitable and economical. Likewise
in developed countries with advanced techniques and skills in the construction of
deep foundations, certain site and other environmental conditions will lead to an
obvious choice of improving the soil conditions at site and then use shallow
foundation.

This research aims at improving the properties of soil at construction sites to improve
its engineering performance. The objectives of the research are:

1. To study the engineering properties of problematic soils and their effects on

geotechnical structures
2. To explain the mechanics of ground improvement techniques and the
important factors that will help engineers in judging and adopting a particular
technique in the fields.
3. To develop design and construction guidelines to reduce costs associated
with ground improvement for building structures, pavements, bridges, and
retaining walls

MAIN BODY

Ground improvement, is the modification of existing site foundation soils to provide

better performance under design and/or operational loading conditions (V. R. Raju
and S. Valluri, 2008). Since not all the soils in situ do not possess sufficient bearing
capacity, to design a sustainable foundation that ensures durability of a given
structure in lose or soft soils, cost-effective alternatives must be sought first before
considering relatively costly foundation alternatives like deep pile foundation. In the
past, when poor soils were encountered at construction sites, they are considered to
be economically unjustifiable or technically not feasible and are often replaced with
an engineered fill or location of the project is changed. Of recent, several
engineering techniques of ground improvement have been developed and effectively
used. They include: mechanical compaction, dynamic compaction, vibroflotation,
preloading, use of sand and stone columns, use of admixtures or soil stabilisers,
injection of suitable grouts and use of geotextiles. Generally, all the ground
improvement methods fall under four categories which include:

a) Mechanical Modification, a modification techniques, by using energy, that

reduce pore void as such increases the dry density.
b) Hydraulics Modification, a technique that drains pore water by providing
drainage or well.
c) Physical and Chemical Modification
Physical modification is a soil modification technique that changes the
physical characteristic of the soil while Chemical modification is a soil
modification technique that changes chemical composition of soil by mixing
soil with admixtures.
d) Modification by Inclusion and Confinement
Modification by inclusion is a modification technique that improves the internal
stability of a system by introducing reinforcement into the soil. On the other
hand, modification by confinement is a modification technique that improves
the external stability of a system by introducing a confinement into the soil.

Objectives of ground improvement

According to (Das, 2011), ground improvement is carried out so as to:

Reduce the settlement of structures

Increases shear strength, durability and bearing capacity of soil.
Reduces compressibility or shrinkage, liquefaction and swelling potential of
soils
Achieve dry work area at construction site, during excavation and during
embankment.
Modify permeability; decrease permeability in case of water retaining
structures and increase permeability in case of accelerated consolidation
Increase the factor of safety against possible slope failure of embankments
and earth dams and failure during excavation by improving external as well as
internal stability of embankment and excavation.
Improve workability and prevent both surface and seepage erosion.

Research methodology

The methodology proposed for this research consist of

Analyzing and improving existing techniques for ground improvement and

developing new techniques to replace or supplement existing techniques where
appropriate.

Evaluating the basic mechanisms underlying each technique and developed rational
design and construction methodologies for each appropriate technique
Developing design and construction guidelines, including construction control and
performance monitoring methods for each technique of ground improvement, the
selection of design values and the determination of geotechnical design parameters,
specifications and special provisions such as effect of groundwater table location,
energy attenuation with depth, effective compaction depth, and types of soils most
suitable to each type of improvement technique considered, and system geometrics
such as spacing, depth of treatment, equivalent diameters, sizes, shapes, and
weights.

CONCLUSION

There are several geotechnical engineering problems in South Sudan. Most of the
underlying soils in Jongole, Upper Nile and Unity States are soft clay soils hence,
large settlement and longer time of consolidation are the major issues in those parts
of South Sudan. Loose soils with low strength and low bearing capacity in some
parts of Eastern Equatoria State make stability during excavation challenging.
Seepage during and after construction is also a common issue in some parts of
Nimble (Motoyo) and Thongping. The advanced technical and problem solving skills
acquired by doing this research will be later on applied to design appropriate ground
improvement techniques to attain the desired performance of poor soils encountered
in South Sudan based on the soil conditions, loading intensity and intended
performance. The research materials will also be used as teaching materials in
academic institutions and as references by practicing civil engineers in the country.

References

B. M. Das 2011. Principles of Foundation Engineering. Seventh Edition. Global

Engineering, Cengage Learning, 200 First Stamford Place, Suite 400 Stamford, CT
06902 USA

V. R. Raju and S. Valluri 2008. Practical Applications of Ground Improvement.

Symposium on Engineering of Ground and Environmental Geotechniques (S Eg2),
Hyderabad.