Abdulla Bin Sulayem the Operations Director of Palm Deira Development at Nakheel, said:
'The vibro-compaction technique is used to densify and strengthen the recently placed sand fill and will eliminate the possibility of any geo-hazards. It will also protect the island from future settlement and provide performance requirement of the supporting ground set by international standards and eliminate the risk of liquefaction in the event of any future earthquake.'
The ground improvement has been undertaken for the following purposes in order to achieve parameters sit out by international standards:
1. Provide foundation bearing capacity
2. Settlement reduction in case of an earthquake by mitigation of liquefaction
3. Avoidance of lateral spreading in case of an earthquake
4. Increase of lateral stiffness around pile foundations
5. Eliminate any future settlement from load and building construction
Nakheel has implemented the best practices, technology and expertise from the advance world with the best product available to satisfy the expectation of clients.
For this purpose Nakheel, in liaison with international experts, has prepared technical specification and quality control procedures to achieve the targeted performance requirements.
Ground improvement using the most advanced technology of vibro-compaction by an international contractor is being executed to ensure the full thickness of reclamation fill and to eliminate any loose layers of compactable soil beneath the original sea bed.
The in-situ densification comprises of the compaction of the full thickness of reclaimed materials and the existing sea bed into a denser state by rearranging soil particles by means of vibration, impact densification or other techniques proposed by the Contractor.
The quality control procedures include thorough field geotechnical investigation, lab testing and surveying works before and after executing the ground improvement works to verify the targeted performance requirement. Independent lab agencies equipped with state-of-the-art field and lab testing facilities have been appointed by Nakheel
The creation of this man-made island through the most advanced reclamation and ground improvement practices is unique and innovative for the type of the geo material used for reclamation in this region.
Nakheel over the past three years has invested heavily in technical investigation to obtain the full set of engineering properties of such material, in liaison with international experts, as needed for design purposes.
Over this period Nakheel's work has even advanced international knowledge in Geo-technical Engineering of material involve and practices of vibro-compaction in the most effective way meeting international standards.
Nakheel is recognized internationally as a pioneer in its field because of the innovative methods it has adopted in the construction of its iconic Palm projects.
Steve Jones, General Manager of the APCC-VFL Joint Venture, the company carrying out the sand treatment said: 'The type of soil improvement used at Palm Deira is similar to that currently being used on similar reclamation projects in the UAE and in other Gulf countries and is very effective in stabilizing areas of new sand fill.
'The sand fill in this particular section of the project is only 12 meters deep and the progress of the work is excellent. The fill material is reacting as anticipated to our treatment methods and we expect to complete the initial area by early November to allow the follow-on bored piling works to commence on schedule.'
The ground improvement contract is a design and built contract awarded to APCC-VFL.
