The existing soil at a construction site may not always be suitable for supporting structures such as buildings, bridges, highways, and dams. In granular soil deposits, the in situ soil may be very loose and indicate a large elastic settlement. In such a case, the soil needs to be densified to increase its unit weight and thus the shear strength. Sometimes the top layers of soil is undesirable and must be removed and replaced with better soil on which the structural foundation can be built. Compacted fills may be required in low lying areas to raise the ground elevation foundation construction. Soft clay layers are often encountered at shallow depths below the foundation. Depending on the structural load and depth of the clay layers, usually large settlement consolidation may occur. Special soil improvement techniques are required to minimize settlement.

Various soil improvement technique

1. Sand piling
2. Compaction
3. Vibro flotation
4. Pre compression
5. Sand drains
6. Stabilization
7. Stone column

The objective of this study:

1. To investigate the usability of sand to improve the bearing capacity of soft soil.
2. To compare the variation of bearing capacities between before compaction and after compaction.
3. To identify the mechanism of improving bearing capacity of soil after using sand piles.