TITLE:
A Case Study on Soil Improvement with Rapid Impact Compaction (RIC)
AUTHORS:
Emmanouil Spyropoulos, Bassim A. Nawaz, Saleh A. Wohaibi
KEYWORDS:
Rapid Impact Compaction, RIC, Fill Compaction, Cut and Fill, Relative Density, Compaction, Effective Site Preparation, Cone Penetration Test (CPT)
JOURNAL NAME:
World Journal of Engineering and Technology,
Vol.8 No.4,
September
8,
2020
ABSTRACT: Soil treatment was utilized on numerous
production sites to compact cohesion less formations, having the objective to
increase earth characteristics and decrease probable subsidence. Within the
last few years, Rapid Impact Compaction (RIC) has increased its attractiveness
as a soil treatment method. RIC is an innovative dynamic compaction technique primarily used to
compact sandy soils where silt and clay contents are low. This work presents a
case study of ground improvement using RIC and its suitability for site preparation
earthworks. The RIC technique has been performed in an early site preparation
which consists of a cut and fill contract for a mega project in the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia. RIC is a process where loose subsurface soils are improved
through compaction with the utilization of successive impact blows from the top
surface. This project involves the compaction of the fill materials (with an
average thickness of 4 m) and loose natural formations (averaging 4 m in
depth). The objective of the soil treatment scheme is to increase the relative
density of the soils (both fill and natural) to 85%. The usage of the RIC within
the site preparation earthwork applications is possible provided the presence
of certain elements—specifically, granular materials and particles finer than
number 200 sieve—do not exceed 15%. The RIC method proved to be cost- and
time-effective when utilized for filling compaction activities since it compacts
considerable soil thicknesses with a single action from the top surface, and
can be used as an alternative to the traditional method of compacting fill
formations in pre-determined lift thicknesses.