Liquefaction mitigation of desert sand using rapid impact compaction
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Liquefaction mitigation of desert sand using rapid impact compaction Bashar Tarawneh 1 & Wassel A. L. Bodour 1 Received: 2 June 2017 / Accepted: 5 June 2018 # Saudi Society for Geosciences 2018
Abstract Rapid impact compaction (RIC) is a ground improvement system that, lately, has been widely used as a soil modifier to strength and deformability characteristics. This paper studies the efficiency of this method to mitigate liquefaction susceptibility of shallow to middle-deep desert sand deposits during the strong event. The study was carried out by direct field measurements using cone penetration tests (CPTs) in the vicinity of a project site in Dubai, UAE. CPTs were carried out before and after using the RIC technique as a remedial measure. The project area was compacted using the RIC method to reduce liquefaction vulnerability of the area. Liquefaction susceptibility of the project site was evaluated prior and after the improvement using two assessment methods. A comparative study of the area, before and after remediation, showed that the RIC method is an efficient way to mitigate liquefaction risk. The factor of safety against liquefaction was significantly improved down to a depth of 3–4 m below the groundwater table (4–5 m below the ground surface). The factor of safety against liquefaction was enhanced by (1.2–to 7) times the factor of safety before the treatment as indicated by the two methods used for liquefaction analysis. The liquefaction study was performed based on a maximum possible earthquake magnitude of M = 7.5 and peak ground acceleration of 0.25 g. Keywords Liquefaction . Soil improvement . Rapid impact compaction . CPT
Introduction Dubai and United Arab Emirates (UAE), in general, are distinguished by their sandy nature and the shallow groundwater table due to its location in the vicinity of the Arabian Gulf. This soil class is, usually, of high potential to liquefy under moderate to high seismic events. Liquefaction vulnerability of a particular site might be reduced by implementing different improvement techniques like dynamic compaction (Nashed et al. 2004), and deep mix elements (Matsuo et al. 1996; Porbaha et al. 1999). These methods are, usually, expensive and timeconsuming such that they become non-practical to apply where widespread zones or regions are required to be reclaimed. In UAE and Dubai, the majority of soils are
* Bashar Tarawneh [email protected] Wassel A. L. Bodour [email protected] 1
Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
susceptible-to-liquefaction sands, and in most cases, the entire project area needs to be treated to improve resistance to liquefaction. Since RIC is a productive technique, cost-effective, and a less time-consuming method, it is brought into play as a countermeasure alternative to mitigate liquefaction risk (Adam and Paulmich 2007, Falkner et al. 2010, Tarawneh and Matraji 2014). Rapid impact compaction (RIC) is a soil improvement method that has been recently developed for granular soils (Watts and
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