Compaction is used to increase the density of fill and improve properties such as compressibility, shear resistance and resistance against liquefaction.
Compaction
Compaction is typically expressed in terms of relative density and effective stress. The engineering properties of a granular soil, such as compressibility, shear resistance and resistance against liquefaction, mainly depend on the state of compaction. Increasing the density by compaction will generally improve these mass properties. Various methods exist to compact the soil which can be divided into:
- vibratory techniques including surface compaction and deep compaction;
- dynamic compaction techniques based on (heavy) impact at the surface; and
- explosive compaction.