Stone Columns / Gravel Piers
Foundation Specialists’ method of installation of Stone Columns and Gravel Piers is the Bottom Feeding of gravel by Vibro-Driving a hollow cylindrical shaft into the ground to be improved, the hollow shaft is provided with a top hopper into which the gravel is loaded and a dual function bottom discharge mechanism, which efficiently compacts the gravel. The FS Stone Columns / Gravel Piers method produces the compaction of soil treated, by lateral displacement, and provides the good compaction of gravel into the soil formation to form stiff permeable columns, and no soil to be removed from site. The process of loading gravel and vibro Driving the hollow shaft can be repeated a number of times to force more gravel into the ground, when larger diameter of the Stone Column / Gravel Pier. Is required by the design. The FS Stone Columns / Gravel Piers Vibro-Driving is a ground improvement method which is both cost and time efficient. Bearing capacity and shear strength of the soil treated by this method are immediately increased : Stone Columns and Gravel Piers, due to the great permeability of the clean gravel installed, act as efficient vertical drain: in water saturated soil facilitate early or immediate consolidation by favouring the eduction of pore water during the lateral displacement produced by the vibro-driving of the hollow shaft, while in the presence of shallow water table, the highly permeable vertical drains also substantially reduce the potential for soil liquefaction during seismic events. The field of application of Stone Columns / Gravel Piers is huge, because they can be installed in all kind of soil needing consolidation, the improvement caused by the installed columns or piers is immediate, and the method is ideal for roads, industrial and commercial areas, housing, and wherever immediate soil improvement is required at manageable cost.
GRAVEL PILES BEING INSTALLED FOR NORTH RAIL PROJECT 2010
