Innovation in Soil Improvement Methods

Abstract

To mark Prof S. L. Lee’s contributions to the research and development on soil improvement, some of the innovative methods developed by Prof. Lee and his team are reviewed. These include the dynamic replacement and mixing method for the improvement of peaty soil, the layered clay-sand method for land reclamation using clayey fill, and the biodegradable fiberdrain. Other new soil improvement methods in the related areas are also presented to illustrate the role of innovation in the advancement of soil improvement technologies. These include the drainage enhanced dynamic compaction method for the improvement of clay layers, the underwater dynamic replacement method for the treatment of seabed clayey soil, the vacuum preloading with horizontal drains method, methods to form working platform on top of soft fill for land reclamation using soft fill materials, the NEUSpace method for land reclamation in deep water, and the new types of prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs). Methods for mitigation of liquefaction hazard, making water pond in sand, and prevention of dike failure from over topping using biotechnologies are also introduced.