Department of Civil Engineering
Assignment no. 1
Name: Abdul Moaeed
Reg. no: FA22-CVE-072
Section: 5B
Subject: Geotechnical & Foundation Engineering
Submitted To: Engr. Asif Ali
Q1. Discuss methods of improving bearing capacity of soil?
A. Improving the bearing capacity of soil is crucial in geotechnical engineering as it ensures
that foundations can support the loads from structures. Several methods are used, depending
on the type of soil and construction requirements. Here’s a detailed discussion of the key
methods for improving soil bearing capacity:
1. Compaction:
Compaction is the process of mechanically densifying soil to reduce voids, which increases its
strength and load-bearing capacity.
• Dynamic Compaction: Involves dropping a heavy weight onto the soil from a height,
thereby compacting it. This method is effective for granular soils (e.g., sand and gravel).
• Vibratory Compaction: Vibrating plates or rollers are used to compact granular soils.
This method helps reduce the void ratio, making the soil more stable.
• Tamping: A heavy rammer is used to compact the soil, particularly in small-scale
construction or shallow layers.
Applications: Suitable for granular soils and works well in areas with shallow water tables.
2. Soil Stabilization:
Soil stabilization involves mixing soil with stabilizing agents to enhance its load-bearing
properties. This method is especially useful for clayey or silty soils.
• Chemical Stabilization:
o Lime: Used to treat clayey soils, lime reduces plasticity, increases workability,
and improves compressive strength.
o Cement: Cement stabilization improves the cohesion of soil particles and creates
a solid mass capable of supporting loads.
o Fly Ash: Fly ash is used to stabilize soil, often in conjunction with cement or lime,
improving compressive strength and reducing permeability.
• Bituminous Stabilization: Bitumen can be used to stabilize granular soils, increasing its
resistance to water and improving bearing capacity.
Applications: Best for weak soils, expansive clays, and areas prone to moisture changes.
3. Grouting:
Grouting involves injecting a fluid-like material into the soil to fill voids or fractures and
enhance its strength and stiffness.
• Cement Grouting: Cement-based grout is injected under pressure into the soil to form a
solid mass, suitable for sandy and gravely soils.
• Chemical Grouting: Chemical solutions (e.g., sodium silicate) are injected into the soil to
increase cohesion and reduce permeability.
• Compaction Grouting: A thick grout is injected to densify and compact surrounding
soils, commonly used in loose or collapsible soils.
Applications: Useful for soils with high permeability and in applications where foundation
settlement needs to be minimized.
4. Drainage Improvement:
Water in the soil significantly reduces its bearing capacity, particularly in clayey and silty soils.
Improving drainage helps remove excess water, increasing soil stability and strength.
• Drainage Wells and Piles: Used to drain water from deep layers of soil.
• Permeable Layers: Introducing gravel or sand layers to improve water flow away from
foundation areas.
• Geosynthetic Drainage Systems: Using geosynthetics like geotextiles to filter and drain
water from the soil.
Applications: Suitable for areas with high groundwater tables and soils prone to waterlogging.
5. Reinforced Soil:
Reinforcing soil with materials like geotextiles, geogrids, or natural fibers can enhance the soil's
load-bearing capacity by providing tensile strength.
• Geotextiles: These are synthetic fabrics placed in the soil to separate, filter, reinforce,
and drain. They improve bearing capacity by enhancing the shear strength of the soil.
• Geogrids: These grid-like structures are embedded in soil to distribute loads over a
larger area, increasing stability.
• Soil Nailing: A method of reinforcing soil by inserting steel bars (nails) into the soil,
commonly used for retaining walls and slopes.
Applications: Effective for soft, loose soils and for construction in challenging topographies.
6. Vibro Techniques:
Vibro-compaction and Vibro-replacement techniques improve soil density and bearing
capacity through the insertion of vibrating probes.
• Vibro-compaction: Vibrating probes compact granular soils by rearranging particles and
reducing void spaces.
• Vibro-replacement (Stone Columns): Stone columns are inserted into the soil through
vibro-displacement techniques, increasing soil strength and drainage capacity.
Applications: Suitable for loose, granular soils and for areas with high seismic risks.
7. Preloading and Surcharging:
Preloading involves placing temporary loads on the soil to consolidate it, and surcharging uses
additional weight to expedite consolidation in soft or clayey soils.
• Vacuum Preloading: A vacuum is applied to the soil surface, creating a downward
pressure that helps in soil consolidation.
• Temporary Fill Surcharge: Adding a layer of fill material over soft soils to accelerate
settlement before the construction of permanent structures.
Applications: Effective in soft soils where settlement needs to occur before construction.
8. Use of Piles and Piers:
Pile foundations transfer the load to a deeper, more stable layer of soil. This method is
commonly used when shallow soils have poor bearing capacity.
• Driven Piles: These piles are driven into the ground using hammers. They transfer the
load to deep soil or bedrock.
• Bored Piles: Holes are bored into the ground and filled with concrete to form a stable
foundation.
• Micropiles: Small-diameter piles are drilled into the ground to support light structures
or reinforce existing foundations.
Applications: Used in areas with poor soil conditions and for heavy loads.
9. Ground Freezing:
Artificial Ground Freezing temporarily converts water in the soil to ice, increasing soil strength
and stiffness. This method is generally used during excavation for deep foundations.
• Freeze Pipes: These are inserted into the ground, and a coolant is circulated to freeze
the surrounding soil.
Applications: Effective in situations requiring temporary soil support, such as tunneling or
excavation.
10. Electro-Osmosis:
Electro-osmosis is a soil improvement technique that involves passing an electric current
through the soil to remove excess water. The removal of water increases the shear strength
and bearing capacity of the soil.
• Principle: Electrodes are inserted into the soil, and an electric potential difference is
applied. Water migrates toward the cathode, which helps in draining and consolidating
the soil.
• Effectiveness: This method is particularly effective in fine-grained soils (e.g., clay) where
conventional drainage methods are ineffective.
Applications: Typically used in soft clays and other highly saturated soils where water retention
is a significant problem. It’s beneficial in deep excavations, tunneling, and dam foundations.
11. Deep Soil Mixing (DSM):
Deep Soil Mixing involves blending the soil in place with a binder such as cement or lime,
resulting in columns of strengthened soil. This technique improves both the bearing capacity
and stiffness of the soil.
• Mechanism: A rotating drill with a mixing tool is used to inject and mix binders (e.g.,
cement slurry) into the soil. As the soil and binder mix hardens, it creates columns or
blocks of high-strength material.
• Types:
o Wet Mixing: The binder is mixed with water and injected into the soil as slurry.
o Dry Mixing: The binder is injected in dry form to stabilize soils with high moisture
content.
Applications: Used in weak or soft soils, such as peat or marine clays, where load-bearing
capacity is poor and stabilization is needed at depth.
12. Use of Geofoam:
Geofoam is a lightweight, engineered material made from expanded polystyrene (EPS) blocks
used to reduce the load on soft soils.
• Principle: Geofoam blocks replace heavier fill materials, reducing the overall weight
applied to the soil and minimizing settlement. This allows for the construction of roads,
embankments, or buildings on weak soils without excessive consolidation.
• Advantages: Geofoam significantly reduces construction time, minimizes settlement,
and improves stability without requiring extensive soil replacement.
Applications: Common in highway embankments, retaining structures, and construction over
compressible soils.
13. Soil Replacement:
Soil replacement involves excavating poor-quality soil and replacing it with more competent
material, such as gravel, sand, or crushed rock.
• Method: The top layers of weak soil are removed and replaced with layers of stronger
soil or aggregate. In some cases, geosynthetics (like geotextiles) are placed between the
weak soil and the replacement material to provide additional reinforcement.
• Effectiveness: Soil replacement is effective for shallow foundations, particularly in soils
with low strength, such as peat or loose sands.
Applications: Used in shallow foundations for buildings, roads, and embankments where
underlying soil is too weak to support structural loads.
14. Vacuum Consolidation:
Vacuum consolidation involves applying a vacuum to the soil to accelerate consolidation and
improve bearing capacity by reducing pore water pressure.
• Mechanism: A vacuum pump is used to remove air and water from the soil, causing the
soil to compact and increase in strength.
• Advantages: This method is especially effective when used in conjunction with
preloading or PVDs.
Applications: Common in large infrastructure projects on soft soils, such as port construction,
road embankments, and land reclamation.
15. Use of Prefabricated Vertical Drains (PVDs):
PVDs, or wick drains, are synthetic strips installed vertically into the soil to accelerate
consolidation by providing a path for pore water to escape. This reduces settlement time and
increases bearing capacity.
• Mechanism: The drains create channels for water to escape from soil layers, speeding
up the consolidation process, particularly for saturated clay and silty soils.
• Advantages: Using PVDs along with preloading (placing a surcharge) speeds up the
natural drainage and consolidation process, thus enhancing the soil's stability.
Applications: Primarily used in soft clay soils for road and railway embankments, airport
runways, and other structures where large settlements are a concern.
➢ Conclusion:
Improving the bearing capacity of soil is critical for ensuring the stability of structures,
and various methods can be applied depending on soil type and project needs. These
include mechanical compaction, which densifies soils, chemical stabilization using
materials like lime or cement to increase strength, and drainage techniques to remove
excess water and reduce settlement. Advanced methods like reinforcement with
geotextiles, deep foundation systems (e.g., piles and jet grouting), and innovative
approaches like bio-stabilization and vacuum consolidation offer tailored solutions for
complex soil conditions. The choice of method hinges on factors such as soil characteristics,
load requirements, environmental considerations, and cost-efficiency, often combining
multiple approaches for optimal results.
