Proceedings of Eighth Indian
Chennai Chapter Young Geotechnical
Engineers Conference 2021
Ground Improvement Technique for Residential Building
to Mitigate Liquefaction – A Case Study
Vani B1 and Gowtham A2
1,2 Keller Ground Engineering India Pvt Ltd, Chennai, TamilNadu, India-600024
Abstract. Pile foundation is the conventional method for high storey buildings
which supports very high loads. Liquefaction is the common phenomena which
will occur in loose granular soils with less fines located in seismically active
zone. In such locations, there is a considerable reduction in both vertical and
lateral pile capacities which leads to a greater number of piles which are not
economical. The present study is about the development of residential building
(G+14F) located in seismically active zone designed on pile foundations. The
subsoil comprises of loose to medium dense silty sand (fines<15%) revealed that
the soil is susceptible to liquefaction. This paper also illustrates the mitigation
of liquefaction using deep vibro compaction (VC) technique, an optimal design
of vibro compaction by conducting field trials prior to main works, pre and post-
performance tests during trial works and routine works using Electric cone
penetration tests.
Keywords: Liquefaction; Deep Vibro Compaction; Post Performance Test
1 Introduction
India as one of the rapidly developing countries which will continue urbanizing at a
faster pace for the next few decades. Urbanization necessitates the development of
meagerly available land to accommodate increased population. High-rise buildings are
one of the solutions to face those population density problems. Foundation for high rise
buildings using piles is the conventional method which is capable of transferring high
super structure loads to the competent soil below with minimal settlements.
Liquefaction is one of the major geotechnical challenges for pile foundations in
cohesionless soils which loss its strength in the event of an earthquake. Considering the
Paper No:270
1
Theme: Ground Improvement
Vani B, Gowtham A
significantly spreaded seismically active zones in India, development of different
techniques to mitigate the problems caused by liquefaction is mandatory to optimize
the foundation cost.
Vibro compaction is one of such effective techniques to mitigate liquefaction potential
by densifying the in-situ loose cohesionless soil. The basic principle behind the process
is that particles of cohesionless soils can be rearranged into a denser state by means of
horizontal vibrations provided by the depth vibrators.
This paper deals with the case study where vibro compaction technique is adopted as a
ground improvement solution to mitigate liquefaction and piles are designed in a static
case to take loads from high-rise building.
2 Project Background
Residential building (G+14 storeys) was proposed at Kailasapuram in Tondairpet,
Chennai. The total footprint area of proposed residential building is 1,109 m2 and the
building will be resting on pile foundation. The overall layout of proposed residential
building is shown in Fig. 1.
Fig. 1. Location Layout of Proposed Structure
Paper No: 270
2
Theme: Ground Improvement
Vani B, Gowtham A
3 Sub Soil Condition
Soil investigation based on SPT showed that the subsoil consists of loose to medium
dense sand up to 10.0m depth which is followed by 5m thick, soft to firm clay layer.
This layer is underlain by medium dense to very dense sand up to 25m depth below
ground level which is followed by weathered rock up to the exploration depth of 30m.
As a confirmatory soil investigation, 8 nos. of Electric Cone Penetration Tests (ECPTs)
were carried out to understand the subsoil condition which shows soil profile similar to
SPT as given in Table 1. The ground water table was encountered between 4m and 6m
depth below EGL. Typical soil profile is shown in Fig. 2.
Table 1. Typical Subsoil Conditions
Depth from Soil Type BH Pre-ECPT
EGL (m) SPT N qc (MPa) Avg Rf (%)
0.0 - 5.0 Medium Dense to Dense Sand 11 - 26 8 - 16 0.5
5.0 - 10.0 Loose to Medium Dense Sand 3 - 28 3 - 12 0.3
10.0 - 15.0 Soft to Firm Clay 2-8 0.5 - 0.75 1.8
15.0 - 20.0 Medium Dense to Dense Sand 30 - 50 8 - 12 0.3
20.0 - 25.0 Dense to Very Dense Sand 50 - 100 -- --
25.0 - 30.0 Weathered Severely Jointed Rock > 100 -- --
Fig. 2. Typical soil profile
Paper No: 270
3
Theme: Ground Improvement
Vani B, Gowtham A
4 Design Approach
The performance requirement of the project is to mitigate liquefaction potential of sub
soil with factor of safety ≥ 1.2 for an earthquake of magnitude 6.0. The proposed site
falls under seismic zone III as per IS code 1893 Part 1:2016 with Peak Ground
Acceleration (PGA) of 0.16g. As per the soil conditions, sand layer between 5.0 and
10.0 m depth is in loose to medium dense state with fines content less than 10 %. which
is susceptible to liquefaction based on approach given in literature “Report from the
1996 NCEER and 1998 NCEER/NSF workshops on evaluation of liquefaction
resistance of soils”.
With the above background, ground improvement using vibro compaction technique is
chosen as the optimal solution to mitigate liquefaction
5 Vibro Compaction technique
For vibro compaction technique, essential equipment needed is a depth vibrator - a long,
heavy tube enclosing eccentric weights, driven by an electric motor. The vibrator is
generally connected to a source of electric power and a high-pressure water pump to
aid during penetration process. The basic principle behind the vibro compaction process
is that the particles of loose non-cohesive soils can be rearranged into a denser state by
means of horizontal vibration produced by depth vibrators. Rearrangement of soil
particles causes subsidence due to the reduction in void ratio which need to be
continually in-filled with granular materials, which is either im-ported or obtained from
the natural granular deposits at the site. The degree of compaction achieved at a
particular compaction point depends on the properties of the soil being treated, the
amount of time spent at each compaction step and the distance from the vibrator. Fig.
3 shows the application limits of deep vibro technique including vibro compaction for
varying soil conditions.
Paper No: 270
4
Theme: Ground Improvement
Vani B, Gowtham A
Fig. 3. Application limit of deep-vibro technique
6 Technical Evaluation
Based on the detailed analysis, the required target qc value to mitigate the liquefaction
shall be in the range of 7.5MPa – 11.5MPa to achieve a relative density of 65-70%
(dense state) after improvement as shown in Fig. 4. The same was verified by means of
trial vibro compaction works with different spacings.
Fig. 4. In-situ and target qc vs depth
Paper No: 270
5
Theme: Ground Improvement
Vani B, Gowtham A
6.1 Trial Works
Based on the soil condition, two different spacings (2.75m and 3.0m c/c) were chosen
to ensure that the zones of influence overlap sufficiently to achieve minimum
requirements throughout the treated area.
Trials were conducted up to a maximum depth of 10m from EGL at two different
locations with 2.75m (location 1) and 3.0m (location 2) spacing in triangular
arrangement as shown in Fig. 5 to decide the optimal spacing for main works.
Fig. 5. Vibro Compaction Points for Trial Locations
6.2 In-situ Ground Condition
As a part of trial works, one no. of pre ECPTs was conducted at each location to confirm
the necessity of ground improvement works. Pre ECPT results showed similar trend as
confirmatory investigation results at both trial locations. Variation of cone resistance
(qc) with respect to depth for trial locations is given in Table 2.
Table 2. Typical Subsoil Conditions Based on Pre ECPTs at Trial Locations
Depth from EGL (m) R.L. (m) Soil Type Pre ECPT
qc (MPa) Avg Rf (%)
0.0 – 6.0 +9.0 to +3.0 Dense to Very dense sand 16 - 28 0.4
6.0 – 6.5 +3.0 to +2.5 Clayey Silt/Silty Clay 1-2 1.5
6.5 – 10.0 +2.5 to -1.0 Loose to Medium dense sand 3 - 12 0.3
10.0 – 15.5 -1.0 to -6.5 Soft to Firm clay 0.7 -1.2 1.8
15.5 – 19.0 -6.5 to -10.0 Medium dense to Dense sand 8 - 12 0.3
19.0 – 20.5 -10.0 to -11.5 Clayey Silt/Silty Clay 5-8 2.5
Paper No: 270
6
Theme: Ground Improvement
Vani B, Gowtham A
6.3 Installation of Vibro Compaction Trial Points
Vibro compaction trial points are completed using crane hung electric vibrator setup by
following suitable operational parameters (i.e., lift height, holding time, compaction
amperages) to achieve required compaction. The backfill consumption of M-Sand was
around 8.0 – 8.5% of treated volume at trial locations. Fig. 6 shows the crane hung
vibrator setup at trial location.
Fig. 6. Crane and vibrator setup at trial location
6.4 Assessment of Improved Ground
After completion of trial compaction points, one no. of post ECPT was conducted at
each trial location to validate the efficacy of vibro compaction works. Substantial
densification was observed within 10m for both trial grids. Comparison of Pre and Post
ECPTs for both trial options are given in Fig. 7.
Paper No: 270
7
Theme: Ground Improvement
Vani B, Gowtham A
Fig. 7. Comparison of Pre and Post ECPT results for 3.0 m and 2.75 m spacing trials
Based on the post ECPT results, it is observed that the vibro compaction with 2.75m
spacing shows significant results to satisfy the performance requirement. Improvement
between R.L. 3.0 - 2.5m is minimum due to the presence of silty clay/ clayey silt layer
with thickness of 0.5m (approx.).
7 Vibro Compaction Main Works
Based on the trial work results, 2.75 m spacing was chosen for main works to satisfy
the requirement of liquefaction resistance. Apart from the compaction points within
footprint of structure, additional rows were executed all along the periphery of the
structure for lateral confinement whose extent was half the liquefying depth as shown
in Fig. 8. The lateral confinement is mainly provided to prevent the transmission of pore
water pressures from the adjacent non-treated zone.
Fig. 8. Cross sectional view of vibro compaction scheme
Paper No: 270
8
Theme: Ground Improvement
Vani B, Gowtham A
The backfill consumption of M-Sand was around 9.0 – 9.5% of treated volume at main
work locations. After completion of vibro compaction points, seven no. of post ECPTs
were conducted to assess the improvement of compacted ground. Typical comparison
plot of Pre and Post ECPTs conducted at main work location is given in Fig. 9.
Fig. 9. Typical Pre vs post ECPT comparison plot at main work location
8 Conclusion
The loose sand deposits with minimum fines content (<15%) prevailed at the pro-posed
site pose liquefaction problems. Ground improvement using vibro compaction
technique was chosen as effective solution and trial works were done with different
spacings to arrive at various operational parameters including optimal spacing and
installation pattern of the compaction points. Effective quality monitoring procedures
were adopted and efficacy of the compaction works were ensured by pre and post
treatment cone penetration tests. The results of the post treatment tests show
improvement of 1.5 to 2 times of in-situ cone resistance (qc) which is found to be
satisfactory and achieved the target relative density, factor of safety against liquefaction
potential. Vibro compaction technique proved to be the optimal ground improvement
solution for liquefaction mitigation in cohesionless soils. In addition to mitigating
liquefaction, it also contributes to increase in pile capacities by its confining effect
Paper No: 270
9
Theme: Ground Improvement
Vani B, Gowtham A
References
1.Youd, T.L et al.: Summary report from the 1996 NCEER and 1998 NCEER/NSF workshops on
evaluation of liquefaction resistance of soils. Journal of geotechnical and Geoenvironmental
Engineering, 817-833 (October 2001).
2.Bohn, C.; Case studies of stone column improvement in seismic areas. Vienna Congress on
Recent Advances in Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics (2013)
3.Madan Kumar Annam, Raju, V.R.: Ground improvement solutions to mitigate liquefaction: Case
studies. Proceedings of Indian Geotechnical Conference, Delhi (2012)
4.Tanmay, G., Madan, K. Annam, Sridhar Valluri.: Mitigation of liquefaction potential using vibro
compaction. Proceedings of DFI India’s 8th Conference on Deep Foundation Technologies for
Infrastructure Development in India, 337-347 (2018)
5.C Ramanathan, PVSR Prasad.: Vibro Compaction Technique in Liquefaction Mitigation and Its
Value Addition - A Case Study. Proceedings of Indian Geotechnical Conference (2019)
6.Priebe, H.J.: Vibro Replacement to Prevent Earthquake Induced Liquefaction. Proceedings of the
Geotechnique-Colloquium at Darmstadt, Germany (1998)
7.Klaus Kirsch, Fabian Kirsch.: Ground improvement by deep vibratory techniques. Second
Edition, CRC Press (2017)
8.IS 1893 (Part 1):2016. Criteria for earthquake resistant design of structure.
Paper No: 270
10
Theme: Ground Improvement
