Evaluation of Ground Improvement with Dynamic Replacement and Rapid Impact Compaction of an Artificial Island in the UAE—A Case Study
Ahmed Khalil, Zahid Khan, Mousa Attom, Omer Khalafalla
Abstract
Dynamic replacement (DR) and rapid impact compaction (RIC) are techniques to improve the geotechnical properties of in situ soils. Dynamic compaction has been extensively used to improve the artificial islands constructed with hydraulic fills; however, the efficacy of a combination of DR and RIC has not been reported for hydraulic fills of artificial islands. This paper presents the results of ground improvement from simultaneous use of DR and RIC in improving the granular fill of a 45,000 m2 area of an artificial island near Ras Al-Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The lower granular fill is improved with DR, whereas the second layer is improved with RIC. A series of field tests such as cone penetration test (CPT) are conducted before and after the improvement. The results of the field tests show that the DR as well as RIC caused significant improvement in physical properties of the compacted soils and the desired improvement is achieved within the influence zone of the planned structures at the required depths.