Experiment of precipitation-driven dynamic compaction technology in the treatment of silty clay sites: A case study of Yangluo project in Wuhan

Traditional soft foundation treatment methods often prove ineffective for muck clay soil foundations. This study investigated the reinforcement mechanism and construction process parameters of a novel dewatering-intensive tamping technique using the Yangluo project as a case study. The method integrated dynamic compaction with well-point dewatering, leveraging well-points to reduce excess pore water pressure generated by tamping while facilitating pore water discharge. During the Yangluo project, the groundwater level was lowered to 3 m below the ground surface within about 2 d before the first round of tamping, to 5 m within about 3 d before the second round of tamping, and to 5 m within about 6 d before the tamping, with the entire dewatering cycle of approximately 11 d. After the first round of tamping, the excess pore water pressure dissipated by 70% in about 7 d. The test results show that the dewatering-intensive tamping method can improve the consolidation of soft clay significantly in a short time, mitigates the “rubber soil” phenomenon, effectively treat the soil to a depth of 6.0 meters, and enhances the bearing capacity of the soft soil foundation (>150 kPa). This study establishes a theoretical foundation and practical construction parameters for the treatment of soft soil foundations, particularly in China’s coastal regions, where such conditions are prevalent.