ABSTRACT
A series of laboratory and field tests were performed using recycled plastic pins (RPP) to evaluate different installation methods. The field test results indicated the resilience of RPPs and also demonstrated that the penetration rates for the pseudo-vibratory method far exceeded those of the drop hammer method. L. Sommers et al. recommended the pseudo-vibratory method for subsequent full-scale RPP installations and conducted further field-scale tests, using the pseudovibratory mechanism at a site in St. Joseph, Missouri. The field installations at the test sites indicated that RPPs can be installed using either the driving or vibratory method, at a reasonable driving rate. The field installation technique indicated that RPPs installed in a vertical alignment were driven with the rig being backed up the slope. A slope stabilisation project using a CAT 320D was undertaken during the dry summer, and it was very difficult to drive the RPPs into the hard soil layer.
