Demonstration Project 116

Ground Improvement Methods

Workshop sponsored by the
Hawaii Local Technical Assistance Program
in cooperation with the
Hawaii State Department of Transportation
University of Hawaii's Department of Civil Engineering
and the Federal Highway Administration

When:  February 2-4, 2000
Where:  HDOT's Oahu District Office, Conference Room
   727 Kakoi Street
Time:  8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (2/2 & 2/3) & 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (2/4)
Cost:    FREE
Contact:  Hawaii LTAP at 956-8719, 956-8851 FAX or jonit@hawaii.edu
   Deadline to register is Friday, January 28, 2000
   Class size is limited to 30 participants


DESCRIPTION:
The basic concept behind ground improvement technologies is to improve or modify poor and marginal in-situ soil and rock conditions to meet project foundation requirements.  One or more ground improvement methods on a project can: increase bearing capacity,  control vertical and lateral deformations, decrease imposed loads, improve lateral stability, increase resistance to liquification, form a seepage cutoff and fill subsurface voids.  Implementation of these methods has enabled the successful construction of the following highway features: fill and cut earthworks, tunnels, culverts, retaining walls and structural foundations.  The versatility of these methods makes them attractive to both new construction and rehabilitation of existing features.  These methods have been successfully used on many sites with great success but are genenrally not fully integrated into transportation practice because of a technical knowledge gap outside of the specialty contracting community.  The objective of DP116 is to mainstream these versatile tools into routine practice in safe and cost-effective applications by providing a fundamental technical understanding.

The primary objective of Demonstration Project 116 is to enhance the acceptance and implementation of ground improvement methods by the transportation community.  Ground improvement technologies are geotechnical construction methods used to modify and improve poor and marginal soil and rock conditions to meet project requirements.  The ground improvement methods addressed in this project include: Grouting, Vertical Wick Drains, Soil Mixing, Stone Columns, Lightweight Fill Materials, Vibrocompaction, Dynamic Compaction, Soil Nailing, Mechanically Stabilized Earth Walls, Reinforced Soil Slopes and Micropiles.

TARGET AUDIENCE:
This Demonstration Project is intended for design generalists (project planners, roadway designers, consultant reviewers), design specialists (geotechnical, structural), construction engineers, and specification and contracting specialists involved with projects having problematic site conditions.

INSTRUCTORS:
Victor Elias is a registered Professional Engineer specializing in reinforced soil applications and ground improvement technologies.  He has a BCE and MS from Polytechnic University in New York.  He has been the PI for FHWA research efforts in Soil Nailing, Corrosion of Soil Reinforcements, Durability of Geosynthetics and the author of FHWA Design Manuals for MSE walls RSS slopes and Ground Improvement Technologies.

Peter Osborn, FHWA Geotechnical Engineer