Optimal foundation solution for rail embankment resting on deep soft clay deposits

Abstract

Development of transportation infrastructure in coastal areas is one of the major growing facilities in India nowadays. The soil deposits in coastal areas are usually formed over decades with slow deposition rates. Fluctuations in the water table on account of tidal variations make soil weak and create challenges for the practicing geotechnical engineers. Based on the type of transportation infrastructure and soil characteristics, several problems are required to be addresses including but not limited to bearing, settlement, slope stability, and liquefaction. The current study deals with the foundation challenges associated with deep deposits of Marine clay for railway embankment construction at Western Coast Port in India. The geotechnical challenges in terms of bearing capacity, settlements, and overall stability demand suitable ground improvement techniques to support the embankment and moving train loads. Ground improvement technique using vibro stone columns is proposed as optimal foundation solution to meet the performance requirements of the project. Installation of vibro stone columns in soft Marine clay is a challenging task, especially in design, performance, and construction point of view. This paper demonstrates extensive soil investigation works followed by efficient design of vibro stone columns. Several quality control measures before, during, and after ground improvement works are presented to demonstrate the efficiency of treated ground.