Performance Requirements for Vibrocompaction on Crushable Calcareous Sands of the UAE and their Verification in Comparison to Silica/Quartz Sands-Video

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The presentation examines vibro-compaction requirements and verification for crushable calcareous sands common in UAE reclamation projects. Dredged Arabian Gulf fill, rich in shells and calcium carbonate, is often placed loosely and requires ground improvement to control settlement and liquefaction risk. Standard CPT-based correlations were developed mainly for silica sands; in calcareous soils, cone penetration can crush fragile particles, producing lower CPT readings than the actual densification may warrant. This can lead to repeated, unnecessary compaction despite satisfactory zone-load tests or shear-wave velocity results.<br /><br />The speaker recommends accounting for shell crushing through an appropriate shell correction factor, ideally supported by calibration-chamber testing and other verification methods. Project examples show vibro-compaction meeting specified CPT performance targets when results are assessed using weighted averages and depth-based rolling averages. The presentation concludes that adapting verification criteria to local calcareous soils can improve value and avoid costly over-compaction.

Keywords

vibro-compaction

calcareous sands

CPT correlations

shell crushing

ground improvement