GROUND IMPROVEMENT
TECHNIQUES
COURSE OUTCOMES
CO1 Classify different ground improvement methods based on the soil suitability
CO2 Outline the basic concept/ design aspects of various ground improvement methods
CO3 Explain the construction procedure of different ground improvement methods
Choose different applications of geosynthetics and soil stabilization in Ground
CO4 improvement
MARK DISTRIBUTION
Continuous Internal Evaluation Pattern:
• Attendance: 10marks
• Continuous Assessment Test (2 numbers): 25 marks
• Assignment/Course project: 15marks
Note book
TOTAL: 50
End Semester Examination Pattern:
Part A and Part B.
Part A contains 10 questions with 2 questions from each module having 3 marks for each question.
Students should answer all questions.
Part B contains 2 questions from each Module of which students should answer any one question
from each Module. Each question should have a maximum of two subdivisions and carry 14marks.
TOTAL: 100
OVERVIEW
MODULE 1
• Role of ground improvement in foundation engineering.
• Classification of ground improvement methods.
• Different problematic soil.
• Selection of suitable ground improvement based on the soil condition.
• Emerging trends in ground improvement.
• Different materials used for ground improvement and their properties.
• Brief introduction to the sustainable method of ground improvement, Microbial methods.
FAILURES DUE TO POOR SOIL CHARACTERISTICS
Effect of swelling
Structural rutting in pavements
Our blunder became a world wonder
• Most well known architectural oddity
• Construction began in the 12th century and was
completed in the 14th century
• The height of the tower is 55.86 metres
• Noticed the tilt during construction itself
• in 1990 the tilt was 5o
Reasons
1. Inadequate foundation
2. Resting on very soft silty
soil
3. Fluctuating water table
which would perch
higher on one side of the
tower
Stabilisation efforts
Sealed the base with cement grout
In 1992 first storey was braced
with steel tendons
In 1993 600 tonnes of lead ingots
were stacked around the base of
the higher side
In 1995 anchors were installed
40m deep
1999-2001 soil was removed from
the higher side
In 2003 a new drainage system
was introduced
Strategies
When a project encounters difficult foundation conditions, possible alternative
solutions are..
Avoid the particular site.
Design the planned structure(flexible/rigid) accordingly.
Remove and replace unsuitable soil.
Attempt to modify existing ground.
GROUND IMPROVEMENT TECHNIQUE
Soil/Ground improvement in geotechnical engineering means techniques that
increase soil shear strength
reduce soil compressibility
reduce soil permeability
Classification of Ground Improvement
• Mechanical Modification
• Hydraulic Modification
• Physical and Chemical Modification
• Thermal methods of ground improvement
• Modification by inclusion & Confinement
• Combination of above
Mechanical Modification
Increasing density of soil by the
application of short term mechanical
forces
Compcation of surface layers by static
vibratory or impact rollers or plate vibrators
Deep compcation by heavy tamping at
surface or vibration at depth
Hydraulic Modification
Free pore water is forced out via drains
or wells
Lowering of ground water by pumping
from bore holes or trenches for coarse
grained soil
preloading or electro kinetic stabilisation
for fine grained soil
Physical and Chemical Modification
Physically mixing additives
Natural soil
Industrial byproducts or waste materials
Cementitious materials
Additives injected via boreholes under pressure
is termed as grouting
Thermal Methods
Heating and Freezing
Heating evaporates water and causes
permanent changes in mineral structure
of soils
Freezing solidifies water and bonds
individual particles together
Modification by inclusion & Confinement
Reinforcements impart tensile strength to
soil mass
Fibres
Strips
Bars
Meshes
In-situ reinforcement is achieved by means
of nails and anchors
PROBLEMATIC SOILS
Expansive Soils
Collapsible Soils
Soft clays
Karst deposits
Dumps and sanitary landfills
Mine pits
Expansive Soils
• referred to a ‘swell-shrink’ soil
• the swelling potential basically depends upon its
mineral composition-montmorillonite
• exhibits significant volume changes with variations in
moisture content
• swells when wet and shrinks when dry, leading to
ground movement and potential damage to structures.
• requires proper moisture control, stabilization, or
foundation design to mitigate heaving and cracking.
Collapsible soil
• Also known as "loess" or "dispersive" soil.
• Loses strength and cohesion when wet and can collapse
under load.
• settle without any additional applied pressure when when
water infiltrates.
• Water weakens or destroys bonding material between
particles that can severely reduce the bearing capacity
• Mudflow or windblown silt deposits often found in arid or
semiarid climates such as deserts
• Requires compaction, moisture control, or chemical
treatment to prevent collapse
Soft clays
• low Shear Strength
• high Compressibility
• sensitivity to Moisture
• require significant time for consolidation
Karst deposits
• Geological formations that result from the dissolution of
soluble rocks, limestone, dolomite, and gypsum .
• Characterized by underground cavities, tunnels, passages
etc
• Sinkholes are the most recognizable karst feature.
• They are depressions or holes in the ground that form
when the overlying material collapses into underground
cavities.
• Thorough site investigations and geological assessments
are essential in karst regions
• Solutions may include grouting techniques to fill
underground voids, strengthening foundations, and
implementing erosion control measures.
Dumps and sanitary landfills
Waste disposal sites
Leachate can pollute drinking water and cause bad odours
Periodic collection and treatment of leachate is required
Methane or other gases formed can lead to explosion or fire
hazards
Large settlement due to
movement of fine material into large voids
material loss due to chemical and biological reactions
Creep
Consolidation
Mines
Contaminated Soil: extraction of minerals can result in the
release of various contaminants into the soil. eg heavy metals,
chemicals, and other pollutants, leading to soil contamination.
Subsidence: Mining can cause subsidence, which is the sinking
or settling of the ground surface due to the removal of
underground materials.
Unstable Soil: Mining can create underground voids and
tunnels. They can lead to landslides, sinkholes, and other
ground failures that pose risks to human safety and property.
Erosion and Sedimentation: Mining activities can disturb the
natural vegetation and terrain, making the area more
susceptible to erosion.
Factors affecting selection of ground improvement
Type & degree of improvement required
Type of soil, geological structure, seepage condition.
Cost ,equipments & spec.
Construction time
Possible damage to adjacent building or pollution for Ground water resources
Durability of the materials involved
Toxicity & corrosivity of any chemical additives
Reversibility & irreversibility of the process
Reusability of components such as steel, plastics..
Reliability of testing, analysis & design
Good method of testing
Feasibility of construction control & performance measurement.
Document of quality control & performance
Various Mechanisms or Methods adopted
Based on the site requirements and soil type:
Compaction-Mechanical modification
Reinforcement-Modification by inclusion or confinement
Admixtures or Grouting-Physical and chemical modification
Dewatering-Hydraulic modification
Various Mechanisms or Methods adopted
Based on the site requirements and soil type:
Compaction
• High densification of soil.
• Change in soil state.
• Adopted for silty, sandy and gravelly soils.
• Eg: Vibro compaction, dynamic compaction, etc
Reinforcement
• Inclusions provided in soil.
• Strength gain due to interaction between soil and inclusion.
• No change in the state of soil.
• Eg: Micropiling, Soil nailing, etc
Various Mechanisms or Methods adopted
Based on the site requirements and soil type:
Admixtures
• Cementation plays a key role in improvement.
• Short-term/Long-term improvement.
• Change in soil state.
• Eg: Lime, cement, Flyash, etc
Dewatering
• Mostly adopted for clayey soils.
• Eg: stone column, Prefabricated Vertical Drains, etc.
GI FOR DIFFERENT SOIL
TYPE
RED COLOUR Technique which is not applicable
Courtesy :NPTEL
Mechanism of stabilization using different materials
used for ground improvement
Lime Cement Flyash GGBFS
Hydration of lime and Hydration of cement Flyash+activator Coating of GGBFS
cation exchange (Ca2+) reduces cohesion of soil
particles
Flocculation of soil Cementation of soil Fill the void spaces Fill the void spaces and
particles leading to particles by hydration reduce water holding
decrease in diffuse products capacity
double layer
Carbonation Secondary products of Formation of Pozzolanic materials
hydration cementitious products formation
Pozzolanic reactions Gradual crystallization of
cementitious products
Mechanism of stabilization using different materials
used for ground improvement
Phosphogypsum Calcium Lignosulfonate
Formation of Ca2+ and Forms thin adhesive
SO42- ions when mixed coating around the soil
with soil particles
Calcium ion induced Physical bonding of soil
cementation through cementation
Pozzolanic reactions lead Ionic nature of material
to CSH and CAH gel facilitates ion exchange
reactions with soil
Crystallization of
cementitious compounds
and hardening of soil
matrix
Introduction to Microbial Geotechnology
Biogeotechnology is a branch of Geotechnical Engineering that deals with the applications of
biological methods to geotechnical engineering problems (Ivanov and Chu 2008)
• Bio-mediated geotechnics, which directly uses living organisms or biological processes to
improve engineering properties, such as the use of bacteria to produce bio-cementation or
bioclogging.
• Bioclogging: Production of pore filling materials
Biocementation: Production of particle binding materials
Introduction to Microbial Geotechnology
The major factors that affect the applications of microorganisms to geotechnical engineering include:
screening and identification of suitable microorganisms for different applications and different
Environments.
optimization of microbial activity in situ.
biosafety of the application.
cost effectiveness.
stability of soil properties after biomodification.
Introduction to Microbial Geotechnology
Addition of microbes and cementing solution
Urea hydrolysis initiated by urease enzyme produced by bacteria
Soil stabilization through microbes, which precipitate CaCO3, is applied to different soil types like
liquefiable soils, sand, sandy soil, and tropical residual soils.
Introduction to Microbial Geotechnology
Introduction to Biopolymers
Common biopolymers used for soil improvement based on their source of production (Fatehi et
al. 2021)
Introduction to Biopolymers
Biopolymer can directly interact with clay particles due to the presence of
electrical charges
Different electrostatic interactions,
hydrogen bonding, ionic bonds, or van der Waals bonds
Mechanisms of biopolymer-treated interaction include the
electrical charges of the biopolymer, natural cations inside the clay, and the amount of charge in the clay
sheet surfaces
Fig. 8 Interaction of biopolymers with clay (Kulshreshtha et al. 2022)
Emerging trends in ground improvement
Utilizing the knowledge of environmental geotechnics for construction on sanitary
landfills.
Use of geosynthetics.
Use of construction waste.
Microbial Geotechnology-Microbial Induced Calcite Precipitation.
Biopolymers.
Emerging trends-Environmental Geotechnology
Factors to be considered:
• Subsidence of Refuse Fills under External Loads
• Foundation Investigation
Any foundation investigation for a structure being built over a sanitary landfill should include the evaluation of
the following potential problems:
• Differential settlement of floor slabs, walls, and utilities.
• Irregular subsidence due to highly variable composition.
• Corrosion of concrete foundations and pipe utilities.
• Generation of methane gas.
• Slope stability.
• Effect of construction on leachate control.
Emerging trends-Environmental Geotechnology
Fig 9. Open waste dumps and sanitary landfill (Source: [Link])
Emerging trends-Geosynthetics
Main functions:
• to separate dissimilar geomaterials.
• to reinforce soil masses.
• to act as a filter in controlling the transport of solid particles within the soil; to provide drainage
pathways within the soil mass.
• or to impede fluid flow by acting as a containment/flow barrier.
Emerging trends-Geosynthetics
Some of the commonly used geosynthetics are:
Geotextiles
Geogrids
Geonets
Geomembranes
Geosynthetic clay liners
Emerging trends-Geosynthetics
Fig 10. Uniaxial and biaxial geogrid
Fig 11. Geogrid reinforced wall
(Source: [Link])
(Source: [Link])
Emerging trends-Geosynthetics
Fig 12. Separation of base course and subgrade Fig 13. Separation of base course and subgrade
(Source: [Link]) (Source: [Link])