Dynamic Compaction of Soils
Dynamic compaction of soils is a technique to solidify loose soils that may be prone to erosion or liquefaction. It is commonly used on sand, fill materials, rubble and landfills where there is a high level of porosity between particles. Does this Spark an idea?
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How It Works
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Cranes are the most common device to perform dynamic compaction. Dynamic compaction is performed by dropping large weights between 10 and 30 tons on loose soil. Cranes are used to drop large steel or concrete grids from a height of up to 100 feet.
What It Does
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The impact of the grid on the soil transfers the energy of the strike into the ground. When the grid makes contact with the loose soil, it transfers the compactive energy into the soil. This displaces much of the air space between the particles, resulting in a more solid, stable soil mass.
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Benefits
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Dynamic compaction has been the preferrend method of soil compaction for decades. Dynamic compaction is a faster and more economical method of mitigating problems associated with loose soils. It has gained popularity as a preferable method to densify soils over conventional methods, such as replacement of loose soils, or the addition of heavier soils.
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References
- University of Houston; Dynamic Compaction/Vibro Techniques; Art Pencielly; 1998
- University of Washington; Soil Liquefaction; Jörgen Johansson; January 2000
- American Society of Civil Engineers; Dynamic Compaction of Collapsible Soils Based on U.S. Case Histories; J. Geotech, et al.; June 2009
- University of Akron; Numerical Modeling of Dynamic Compaction in Cohesive Soils; Khaled F. Mostafa; 2010
- Photo Credit Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images George Doyle/Stockbyte/Getty Images Brand X Pictures/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images Liquidlibrary/liquidlibrary/Getty Images
