Experimental study of dynamic compaction adjacent to a slope

Abstract

Dynamic compaction (DC) is one of the most useful and economical methods of improving loose ground. In response to design requirements, extensive studies have been conducted on DC of flat ground. However, owing to urban development and construction along slopes, it is necessary to understand the behaviour of DC on ground adjacent to slopes. In this paper, the effects of some parameters on the performance of DC in improving slopes are investigated. The considered parameters fall into two parts: the geometry of the slope and the performance properties. For this investigation, DC simulation tests on a small-scale model of ground adjacent to a slope were performed. In these tests, crater depths created by tamper dropping were measured and the effect of parameters was examined. Results show good performance of the DC method in the improvement of loose, sandy ground adjacent to a slope. Crater depth was most affected by increase in energy, angle of slope and reduction in distance from the edge of slope. Finally, the effective distance from the edge of the slope was determined and an equation is presented to predict crater depth during DC adjacent to a slope.