Compaction Techniques
Densification of soil and fill to achieve acceptable stiffness and strength of the ground.
Some in-situ soils are too loose in their natural state to facilitate construction on the site within acceptable settlement tolerances. This problem is addressed by increasing the density of the soil with in-situ compaction of the natural ground strata to achieve the required strength and stiffness properties.
Where imported soil is placed to raise the ground level the fill material used must be compacted to ensure consistent and adequate density of the final strata. It is common practice to place the fill material in relatively thin layers that are then compacted with vibrating or static compaction plant such as drum rollers.
In order to achieve the required density it is essential that, as placed, the moisture content of fill lies within an acceptable range and that the compaction plant used is compatible with the proposed layer thickness. Determination of optimum moisture conditioning, placement techniques and compaction processes often requires field testing and assessment from experienced field personnel.
The CMW team routinely provide earthworks direction, testing and monitoring services, in accordance with local council requirements and national standards, to ensure site preparation and fill placement meet the minimum compaction requirements.
Effective compaction of in-situ soil and fill material is dictated by the nature of the soil and depth/thickness of treatment that is required. Commonly adopted techniques for relatively shallow compaction include static or vibrating drum rollers, pad-foot rollers and plate compactors. Where deeper compaction of in-situ soil is required more specialised techniques such as high energy impact rollers, dynamic compaction and even deep vibro-compaction may be required. There are many proprietary systems available and the experience available from CMW facilitates selection, design and specification of optimised compaction solutions for both routine and problematic projects.
CMW regularly work in close collaboration with earthworks contractors and project construction teams to identify suitable fill material, provide advice on earthworks methodologies, design and specify the required compaction treatment, direct, test and audit compaction works such that practical and cost effective project outcomes are achieved.