Some applications of the vibro-replacement process

The vibro-replacement process is a recognized foundation technique, which permits improvement of in-place soils with an appreciable content of fines, with a view principally to their bearing capacity and settlement properties, and to their shear strength. As the name implies, the natural soil is partially replaced by granular material infilled into holes made with the depth vibrator and compacted. Two examples are shown. In the first, the primary objective lay in the increase of

i bearing capacity and the reduction of deformability of the foundation soil of a large thermal power plant in a coastal region. The second example refers to the increase of shear strength in a soft layer on which an embankment for a motorway was to be placed. In this case the use of a computer program enables one to find the most economical number and arrangement of the stone columns according to a given factor of safety in the stability analysis.