CEE451
Geotechnical Engineering-III
Credit: 02
Md. Nazmul Islam Rafi
Lecturer
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Shahjalal University of Science and Technology
CONTENTS TO BE COVERED
Specifications and design Analysis and design of
01 of field compaction 02
sheet pile
Fundamentals of Pile subjected to lateral
03 04
machine foundation load
Md. Nazmul Islam Rafi
References
Principles of Geotechnical Engineering
Textbook by Braja M Das
Section: 6.13
Go through these sections for a better understanding.
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Vibroflotation Compaction
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Vibroflotation Compaction
Md. Nazmul Islam Rafi Video source here. 5
Vibroflotation Compaction
Vibroflotation is a technique for in situ
densification of thick layers of loose granular
soil deposits.
Power supply
This vibrating unit has an eccentric weight
inside it and can develop a centrifugal force, Water pump
which enables the vibrating unit to vibrate
horizontally. There are openings at the bottom Follow-up
pipe
and top of the vibrating unit for water jets. The
Cylinder of compacted material, added
vibrating unit is attached to a follow-up pipe. Vibrating
from the surface to compensate for the
loss of volume caused by the increase
Figure shows the entire assembly of equipment unit of density of the compacted soil
necessary for conducting the field compaction.
Cylinder of compacted material, produced
by a single vibroflot compaction
A
B
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Stages of Vibroflotation Compaction
Stage 1: The jet at the bottom of the Vibroflot
is turned on and lowered into the ground.
Stage 2: The water jet creates a quick
condition in the soil, and it allows the vibrating
unit to sink into the ground.
Stage 3: Granular material is poured from the
top of the hole. The water from the lower jet is
transferred to the jet at the top of the
vibrating unit. This water carries the granular
material down the hole.
Stage 4: The vibrating unit is gradually raised
in about 0.3 m ( 1 ft) lifts and held vibrating for Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4
about 30 seconds at each lift. This process
compacts the soil to the desired unit weight.
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Probe spacing
Square and rectangular patterns generally
are used to compact soil for isolated, shallow
foundations.
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Probe spacing
Equilateral triangular patterns
generally are used to compact large
areas.
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Effective range of grain-size distribution
• Soils that contain excessive amounts of fine
sand and silt-size particles are difficult to
compact
• The range of the grain-size distribution of
in situ soil marked Zone 1 in Figure is most
suitable for compaction by Vibroflotation.
• Zone 2 in Figure is the approximate lower
limit of grain-size distribution for
compaction by Vibroflotation.
• Soil deposits whose grain-size distribution
falls into Zone 3 contain appreciable amounts
of gravel. For these soils, the rate of
probe penetration may be rather slow, so
compaction by Vibroflotation might prove to
be uneconomical in the long run.
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Backfill used in Vibroflotation Compaction
The capacity for successful densification of in situ soil depends on
several factors, the most important of which is the grain-size
distribution of the soil and the type of backfill used to fill the
holes during the withdrawal period of the Vibroflot.
The grain-size distribution of the backfill material is an important
factor that controls the rate of densification. Brown (1977) has
defined a quantity called the suitability number for rating backfill as
3 1 1
𝑆𝑁 = 1.7 2+ 2+ 2
𝐷50 𝐷20 𝐷10
Here, 𝑫𝟓𝟎 , 𝑫𝟐𝟎 , 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑫𝟏𝟎 are the diameters (in mm) through which,
respectively, 50, 20, and 10% of the material passes.
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Backfill used in Vibroflotation Compaction
3 1 1
𝑆𝑁 = 1.7 2
+ 2
+ 2
𝐷50 𝐷20 𝐷10
Range of 𝐒𝐍 Rating as backfill
The smaller the value of 𝑆𝑁 , the more
desirable the backfill material. Following is 0–10 Excellent
a backfill rating system proposed by Brown: 10–20 Good
20–30 Fair
30–50 Poor
>50 Unsuitable
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Dynamic Compaction
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Dynamic Compaction
Md. Nazmul Islam Rafi Video source here. 14
Dynamic Compaction
Dynamic compaction is a technique that has gained popularity for the
densification of granular soil deposits. This process consists primarily of
dropping a heavy weight repeatedly on the ground at regular intervals. The
weight of the hammer used varies over a range of 80 to 360 kN (18 to 80
kip), and the height of the hammer drop varies between 7.5 and 30.5 m (25
and 100 ft). The stress waves generated by the hammer drops aid in the
densification.
The degree of compaction achieved at a given site depends on the following
three factors:
1. Weight of hammer
2. Height of hammer drop
3. Spacing of locations at which the hammer is dropped
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Approximate shape of the densified area
2a
Top view Side view Approximate shape
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Design steps of dynamic compaction
Step 1: Selection of tamper (tamper weight) and drop height of required depth.
𝐷 = 𝑛 𝑊𝐻 1/2
Where,
D = Depth of improvement
W = Weight of tamper = 8 to 35 metric ton
H = Falling height = 7.5 to 30.5 meter
n = From Table 1, depending on soil type
Step 2: Determination of applied energy to achieve required depth of improvement
Average energy applied at the ground surface
𝐴𝐸 = (𝑈𝑛𝑖𝑡 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 × 𝐷) 𝑘J/𝑚2
Where, Unit applied energy = From Table 2, depending on type of deposit (𝑘𝐽/𝑚2 )
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Design steps of dynamic compaction
Table 1: Recommended n value for different soil types
Degree of Recommended n value
Soil Type saturation
High 0.5
Pervious soil deposits – Granular soil Low 0.5 - 0.6
Semi-pervious soil deposits – Primarily silts High 0.35 - 0.4
with plasticity index of < 8 Low 0.4 - 0.5
High Not recommended
Low 0.35 - 0.4
Impervious deposits – Primarily clayey Soils should be at water
soils with plasticity index of > 8 content less than the
plastic limit
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Design steps of dynamic compaction
Table 2: Applied energy guidelines
Unit Applied Energy Percent Standard
Type of Deposit (𝒌𝑱/𝒎𝟐 ) Proctor Energy
Pervious coarse – grained soil 200-250 33-41
Semi-pervious fine – grained soils
and clay fills above the water table 250-350 41-60
Landfills 600-1100 100-180
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Design steps of dynamic compaction
Step 3: Project area to identify
Project area need to be identified according to the soil types
Step 4: Grid (drop point) spacing and drops
Grid spacing = 1.5 to 2.5 × diameter or width of tamper Drops and passes
2
𝐴𝐸 = 𝑁 × 𝑊 × 𝐻 × 𝑃/ 𝐺𝑟𝑖𝑑 𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑔
Where,
N = Number of drops = 7 to 15
P = number of passes = 2 for pervious soil
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Problem 1
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Problem 1
Design dynamic compaction to densify 10 m thick manually filled loose backfill which consists
of poorly-graded gravel & sand up to 75 mm maximum size. The geotechnical engineer
determined that ground improvement for a 21.5 m * 50 m zone is required to prevent
liquefaction under the design earthquake peak ground acceleration. Design specifications
include:
(i) Weight of hammer,
(ii) Height of drop,
(iii) No of passes for certain energy requirements, and
(iv) sketches of phase design & energy.
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Design steps of dynamic compaction
Step 1: Selection of tamper (tamper weight) and drop height of required depth.
𝐷 = 𝑛 𝑊𝐻 1/2
Where,
D = Depth of improvement = 10m
n = From Table 1, for granular soil = 0.6
1/2
𝐷 = 𝑛 𝑊𝐻
or, 10 = 0.6 × 𝑊𝐻 1/2
or, 𝑊𝐻 = 277.8 𝑀𝑔. 𝑚
Let,
𝑊 = 18.1 𝑀𝑔 = 𝑊𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡𝑎𝑚𝑝𝑒𝑟
Then,
𝐻 = 15.4 𝑚 = 𝐷𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡
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Design steps of dynamic compaction
Step 2: Determination of applied energy to achieve required depth of improvement
Average energy applied at the ground surface
𝐴𝐸 = (𝑈𝑛𝑖𝑡 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑔𝑦 × 𝐷) 𝑘J/𝑚2
or, 𝐴𝐸 = (200 𝑡𝑜 250) × 10 𝑘J/𝑚2 ; [From Table 2, for pervious coarse-grained soil]
or, 𝐴𝐸 = 2000 𝑡𝑜 2500 𝑘J/𝑚2
Step 3
As the whole site is consisted of the same type of soil and needed to treat, 21.5 m × 50 m
zone is identified as the project area.
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Design steps of dynamic compaction
Step 4:
Grid spacing = (2 × 3) 𝑚; [Assume diameter of tamper = 3 𝑚]
= 6𝑚
Again,
𝐴𝐸 = 𝑁 × 𝑊 × 𝐻 × 𝑃 / 𝐺𝑟𝑖𝑑 𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑔 2
or, 2250 = 𝑁 × 18.1 × 9.81 × 15.4 × 𝑃 / 6 2 ; [𝐴𝐸 = (2000 + 2500)/2 = 2250]
or, 𝑁𝑃 = 29.62
For pervious soil, number of passes, 𝑃 = 2
So, 𝑁 = 14.81 ≈ 15
Number of drops, 𝑁 = 15
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Design steps of dynamic compaction
Phase Design
• 3 grid points along the 21.5 m and 8 along the 50 m
• For 2 passes number of drops needed is = 48 × 15; [3 × 8 ×
2 = 48]
Table : Number of drops and applied energy
Phase Pass Drop on each grid Applied energy (𝒌𝑱/𝒎𝟐 )
point
1st 15 1125
1
2nd 15 1125
Total 2 30 2250
Figure: Dropping pattern for
dynamic compaction
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Assignment on Dynamic Compaction
Design dynamic compaction to densify 12 m thick loose soil
with a low bearing capacity which consists of poorly-graded
sand & silt. The total site area is about 25 m * 60 m. The
geotechnical engineer determined that ground improvement
for a 20 m * 40 m zone is required to prevent liquefaction
under the design earthquake peak ground acceleration. The
weight and diameter of the tamper are 20 Mg and 5 m
respectively. Design specifications include (i) Height of drop,
(ii) No of passes for certain energy requirements and (iii)
sketches of phase design & energy.
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Assignment on Vibroflotation
For a Vibroflotation work two backfill materials are available.
Sample 1 has the following characteristics: D50 = 1.8 mm; D20
= 0.72 mm; D10 = 0.25; where, Sieve analysis for the Sample 2
material is conducted and data is given in following table.
Which sample would you use as a backfill and why? How would
you rate these materials?
Diameter (mm) 0.425 0.25 0.106 0.075 0.04 0.02 0.01
Soil Retained (gm) 1.5 11.5 33.5 58 20 7 5
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Thank You
Do you have any question?
