GS (2020 Edition)

SECTION 6

EARTHWORKS

GENERAL
Reclamation 6.01 Reclamation shall comply with Section 21 except as stated in this Section.

Trip-ticket System 6.02 The disposal of construction and demolition materials generated from the
Contract shall comply with the Trip-ticket System promulgated by the
Environment, Transport and Works Bureau.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Areas of fill 6.03 Areas of fill are areas within the Site, including areas in embankments,
platforms and slopes and in excavations for structures, pits and trenches, in
which fill material is deposited and compacted as part of the permanent work.

Earthworks final 6.04 Earthworks final surface is the surface to which the work included in Section 6
surface is finished.

Inert construction and 6.05 Inert construction and demolition material shall mean rock, rubble, earth, soil,
demolition material concrete, asphalt, brick, tile and masonry generated from construction and
demolition works.

Earthworks material 6.06 Earthworks material may consist of soil, rock, or inert construction and
demolition material on or below the Site at the commencement of the Contract,
or which is imported to the Site to carry out the Works.

Formation 6.07 Formation is that part of the earthworks final surface on which a pavement,
structure or utility, is constructed, or on which the blinding or bedding for a
pavement, structure or utility is placed.

Intermediate areas of 6.08 Intermediate areas of fill are areas of fill which are stated in the Contract as
fill such, and in which fill material is deposited and compacted directly into
shallow water or onto naturally occurring soft ground.

MATERIALS
Fill material 6.09 (1) Fill material shall consist of naturally occurring or processed material,
or inert construction and demolition material, which at the time of deposition
is capable of being compacted in accordance with the specified requirements
to form stable areas of fill.

(2) Fill material shall not contain any of the following:

(a) Material susceptible to volume change, including marine mud, soil

with a liquid limit exceeding 65% or a plasticity index exceeding
35%, swelling clays and collapsible soils,

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(b) Peat, vegetation, timber, organic, soluble or perishable material,

(c) Dangerous or toxic material or material susceptible to combustion,

and

(d) Metal, rubber, plastic or synthetic material.

(3) The different types of fill material shall have the particle size
distributions within the ranges stated in Table 6.1.

(4) Special fill material shall consist of material which has a liquid limit not
exceeding 45%, a plasticity index not exceeding 20% and a coefficient of
uniformity exceeding 50.

(5) Granular fill material shall consist of clean, hard and durable material
including recycled aggregates, rock and concrete.

(6) Rock fill material shall consist of pieces of concrete or hard and durable
rock of which the maximum size shall not be greater than three times the
minimum dimension of individual pieces and in the opinion of the Engineer
not more than 30% by mass is discoloured or shows evidence of
decomposition.

(7) Recycled rock fill material (Grade 200) shall be recycled rock or inert
construction and demolition material which is hard and durable, and free from
cracks, veins, and other evidence of decomposition.

(8) For works which use grade 200 rock fill material as specified in the
contract, priority shall be given to using grade 200 recycled rock fill material
unless the material is found inappropriate by the Engineer.

(9) The soluble sulphate content of fill material placed within 500 mm of
concrete, cement bound material or cementitious material shall not exceed 1.9
grams of sulphate, expressed as SO3, per litre.

(10) The total sulphate content, expressed as SO3, of fill material placed
within 500 mm of metalwork shall not exceed 0.5% by mass.

(11) Well-graded material shall consist of material that has a coefficient of

uniformity exceeding 10.

(12) Uniform-graded material shall consist of material that has a coefficient

of uniformity of 10 or less.

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Table 6.1: Particle size distributions of fill material

Percentage by mass passing

Type of fill material Size BS test sieve

400 mm 200 mm 75 mm 20 mm 600 µm 63 µm

Fine fill material - - 100 - - -

General fill material - 100 75-100 - - -

Special fill material - - 100 - - 0-45

Granular fill material - - 100 - 0-5 -

Rock fill material/ - 100 20-75 0-50 -
Recycled rock fill material -
(Grade 200)

Rock fill material 100 20-75 10-30 0-25 - -

(Grade 400)

SUBMISSIONS
Particulars of 6.10 (1) The following particulars of the proposed materials and methods of
earthworks construction for earthworks shall be submitted to the Engineer:

(a) Details of construction plant and haulage vehicles,

(b) Methods of excavation and of deposition and compaction of fill

material,

(c) Use of different types of excavated material and sources of

imported fill material,

(d) Arrangements for stockpiling, sorting and separating excavated

material, earthworks material and fill material, and for reusing and
disposing of such materials,

(e) Methods of controlling the moisture content of fill material,

(f) Methods of controlling surface water and groundwater and of

protecting earthworks and earthworks material from damage due
to water and from weather conditions which may affect the
earthworks or earthworks material,

(g) Methods of monitoring groundwater levels, and

(h) Methods of monitoring the ground and structures for movements.

(2) The particulars shall be submitted to the Engineer at least 14 days

before the relevant work starts.

Particulars of blasting 6.11 (1) The following particulars of the proposed blasting procedures shall be

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Deposition of rock fill 6.46 (1) The final compacted thickness of each layer of rock fill material shall
material exceed 1.5 times and shall not exceed twice the nominal Grade size of the rock
fill material.

(2) The surface voids of each layer of rock fill material shall be filled with
fragments of rock before the next layer is deposited. The final surface of
rock fill material shall also be blinded with fine fill material.

Deposition of fill 6.47 If sheet piling, timbering or other temporary supports to excavations for
material in excavations structures, pits and trenches are not to be left in place, the sheet piling,
for structures, pits and timbering or supports shall be removed as deposition of fill material proceeds.
trenches The supports shall be removed in such a manner that the stability of the
adjacent ground is maintained and the compacted fill material is not disturbed.

COMPACTION OF FILL MATERIAL

Compaction of fill 6.48 (1) Fill material in areas of fill shall be compacted in layers to a stable
material condition as soon as practicable after deposition and in a manner appropriate
to the location and to the material to be compacted.

(2) The permission of the Engineer shall be obtained before the next layer
is deposited on each layer of compacted fill material.

(3) Except as stated in Clauses 6.50(2), 6.52(1), 6.54(2), 6.57 and 6.66, fill
material shall be compacted to obtain a relative compaction of at least 95%
throughout unless otherwise stated in the Contract.

Moisture content of fill 6.49 Fill material other than rock fill material and material as stated in Clause
material 6.52(1) shall be at optimum moisture content during compaction. The
tolerance on the optimum moisture content percentage shall be ±3%, provided
that the fill material is still capable of being compacted in accordance with the
specified requirements to form stable areas of fill. All necessary measures shall
be taken to achieve and maintain the specified moisture content.

Compaction of fill 6.50 (1) Fill material shall be compacted in such a manner that structures or
material adjacent to utilities are not disturbed or damaged.
structures and utilities
(2) Fill material around water, sewage and drainage pipes, which are
constructed as part of the permanent work, shall be compacted by hand-
rammers or manually operated power equipment. Fill material within 300
mm above the top of sewage and drainage pipes shall be compacted to obtain
a relative compaction of at least 85% throughout.

Compaction of rock fill 6.51 (1) Every layer of rock fill material shall be compacted by at least eight
material passes of a vibrating roller or by other equivalent compaction method
approved by the Engineer. The final surface of rock fill material shall be
compacted by at least two additional passes of a vibrating roller or by other
equivalent compaction method approved by the Engineer.

(2) Vibratory rollers used for the compaction of rock fill material shall have
a static load per 100 mm width of roll of at least 2 kN for layers with a
compacted thickness not exceeding 500 mm and at least 4 kN for layers with
a compacted thickness exceeding 500 mm.

Compaction of general 6.52 (1) For general fill material of which less than 90% passes a 20 mm BS test

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fill material with a sieve, it is difficult to determine of the moisture content and maximum dry
large portion of coarse density according to Clauses 6.75(2), 6.75(3), 6.78(2), 6.81(5) and 6.81(6).
material This type of material shall be compacted to the requirements of Clauses
6.52(2), 6.52(3) and 6.52(4).

(2) Each horizontal layer of general fill material shall be spread and
levelled with a thickness not less than 1.5 times of the maximum size of the
general fill material and not exceeding the maximum depth of compacted layer
in accordance with Table 6.2A. If there is a presence of over-sized coarse
material in the general fill, the over-sized coarse material shall be removed or
broken down to sizes acceptable to the Engineer. Each layer shall be
systematically compacted by a vibratory roller with the stipulated minimum
number of passes corresponding to the minimum static load per 100 mm width
of the roller.

(3) The number of passes of the roller shall only be counted when the roller
is travelled on the material to be compacted at a speed of not more than 2 km
per hour with full vibration. Plant other than a vibratory roller carrying out
material spreading or providing some preliminary compaction, to assist the
use of heavier plant, shall be disregarded in counting the number of passes.

(4) Variation from the method or the use of plant different from that
specified in Clause 6.52(2) will be permitted only if the Contractor
demonstrates at site trials that equivalent compaction is achieved by the
alternative method or plant. The procedure to be adopted for these site trials
shall be agreed with and approved by the Engineer.

(5) Without prejudice to the provision of the Conditions of Contract and in

order that the Engineer may take proper provision for the supervision of
compaction in the permanent work, the Contractor shall, not less than 24 hours
before he proposes to carry out compaction processes, apply in writing to the
Engineer for permission to do so.

(6) When materials of widely divergent grading are used in embankments

and fill areas, they shall be spread and compacted in separate clearly defined
areas.

(7) If more than one class of material is being used in such a way that in
the opinion of the Engineer, it is not practicable to define the areas in which
each class occurs, compaction plant shall be operated as if only the material
that requires the greatest compaction effort is being compacted.

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