A Case of Vibro Compaction Vibration Monitoring in a Reclaimed Site

Abstract

Vibro Compaction is a ground improvement technique in which the soil is compacted using waves generated from an equipment called a vibroflot. As the vibration magnitude is less than some other vibratory ground improvement methods this technique is sometimes preferred when the improvement zone is relatively close to existing structures and facilities. Unfortunately, not much can be found in literature on peak particle velocity (PPV) that is generated by this method. This paper reports and interprets vibration monitoring of a Vibro Compaction project that was recently performed on about 13 m of hydraulically placed sand in Palm Jumeira, Dubai. PPV was measured at different distances from the vibroflot. The depth of the vibroflot was also varied to provide a better understanding of the critical depth that creates the largest PPV. A formula is also presented to estimate Vibro Compaction generated PPV during planning stage.