ABSTRACT
Natural ground conditions at proposed construction sites are not always suited to the anticipated loads or other constraints that a project may impose on a site. Ground improvement is a specialty area of geoconstruction involving the modification and improvement of soil properties. A relatively ground-improvement technology developed for shallow compaction in Europe and being used throughout North America is Rapid Impact Compaction. Soft, normally consolidated, fine-grained soils may be improved by applying a temporary surcharge loading at the ground surface and inducing consolidation of the underlying soft material. The Deep Mixing Method is an in situ soil-treatment method for soft and very soft soils, in which the in situ soils are blended with Portland cement, lime, fly ash, or combinations. The method was developed in the 1950s but was not extensively used until equipment for deep improvement was available.
