A new laboratory apparatus for studying dynamic compaction grouting into granular soils

Abstract

As granular soils may be compressible or have inadequate strength, compaction is particularly useful when soils are subjected to dynamic loading or cyclic loading. A new laboratory apparatus for investigating dynamic compaction has been designed and fabricated. The basic principle of this new technique is to introduce vibrations during the expansion process in static compaction grouting. In these tests, the injection pressure, the excess pore water pressure, and the change in void ratio of the specimens are measured. The main focus is to investigate the development of the injection pressure, the void ratio, and the excess pore water pressure due to dynamic compaction and the subsequent consolidation of the soils. In addition, the relative density of the soils is used to evaluate the dynamic compaction efficiency. Scaled laboratory experiments are conducted to study the effect of this dynamic compaction frequency on compaction efficiency. The experimental results show that the change in void ratio in the dynamic compaction tests is about four times greater than that in the static compaction tests. Dynamic compaction frequency plays an important role in soil densification due to dynamic compaction.