ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the fundamental considerations, basic requirements of ground modification and typical geotechnical problems with special focus on environmental aspects. The purpose of ground modification or improvement is generally to increase the strength, reduce the settlement or to change the permeability of existing soils. To design an effective ground improvement system, some basic factors must be considered and the interactions among soil, ambient environment, and the improvement system itself must be evaluated. Before discussing environmental-load factor design criteria, it is necessary to review the load and resistance factor design method, commonly employed in steel design. There are two general types of load–soil interactions: the structure–soil and soil–structure interactions. It is indicated that for fine-grained soil, the soil-structure interaction, such as bacteria, suspended organic matter, colloids, and various ionic species in the porewater must be considered. The soil–structure interaction includes blasting, machine vibration, moving vehicle, pile driving during construction, and seismic loads which all relate to local environments.
