New Techniques on Soft Soils is a compilation of the lectures and keynote lectures presented at the Symposium on New Techniques for Design and Construction in Soft Clays held in Guarujá, Brazil, between May 22 and 23, 2010. The book covers a wide range of updated techniques on several topics, such as site investigation, vertical drains, surcharge, piled embankment, granular piles, deep mixing, monitoring and performance.

The book reviews recent developments and research results on excavations and foundations found in and on soft soil deposits. It gives an overview of the material properties of soft soils and offers new foundation improvement techniques in road and railways. It also examines different types of foundations and stabilization methods. The book will serve both practicing and research engineers in the field of geotechnical engineering.

GSP 112 contains 37 papers representing the state of the practice in soft ground engineering presented at the Soft Ground Technology Conference, held in Noordwijkerhout, the Netherlands, May 28-June 2, 2000.

Soft soils present particular challenges to engineers and an understanding of the specific characteristics of these soils is indispensable. Laboratory techniques such as numerical modelling, theoretical analysis and constitutive modelling give new insights into soft soil material behaviour, while large-scale testing in the field provides important information in areas such as slope stability and soft soil improvements. This collection of papers from the Fourth International Conference on Soft Soil Engineering, Vancouver, 2006, presents an international appraisal of current research and new advances in engineering practices, illustrating the theory with relevant case studies. Geotechnical professionals, engineers, academics and researchers working in the areas of soft ground engineering and soft soil engineering will find this a valuable book.

This book provides a review of problems during design and construction on problematic soils. Design methods, site investigation, construction and analysis of the various improvement methods available are explained and discussed. Various regions may have different soils with geotechnical problems that differ from those faced in other regions. For example, in Southeast Asia, the common geotechnical problems are those associated with construction on soft clays and organic soils, while in the arid region of the Middle East, problems are generally associated with the desert soils. In the US, the problems are associated with organic soils, expansive and collapsing soils, and shale. Laterite and lateritic soils are especially problematic in Mexico. Similarly, in Europe, for example, the geotechnical problems are associated with loess (France), and organic soil (Germany). A detailed description of various methods of ground improvement has been provided in 11 chapters. Each chapter deals not only with a description of the method but also focuses on region-specific ground problems and suitable ground improvement techniques. Case studies have also been included. One general chapter is dedicated to site investigation, instrumentation, assessment and control. This book will be of value to students and professionals in the fields of civil and geotechnical engineering, as well as to soil scientists and engineering geologists.

The geosynthetic encased column (GEC) is a relatively recent method developed for soft soil improvement. The method was firstly introduced as a concept in the 1980s and first practical applications started in the 1990s. GECs have been widely used in some parts of the world for the last three decades. However, there is no book in the literature summarizing the knowledge accumulated during this period in relation to this soft ground improvement technique. The purpose of this book is to provide readers with the GEC fundamentals and practical applications. Chapter 1 presents the general principles of this ground improvement technique including the methods used for GEC installation and how the material properties may be selected. Chapter 2 presents the design methods, thus settlement calculations by means of analytical methods and stability calculations by limit equilibrium methods are explained in detail. Chapter 3 presents calculation examples illustrating the usual steps to be done for both service limit state and ultimate limit state designs. Then field performances exemplifying practical applications of the GEC technique are presented in Chapter 4 for some case histories. Following numerical analyses, often used in design to complement analytical methods, are presented in Chapter 5. Annexes I and II at the end contain the charts developed to perform settlement calculations. The book combines the experiences of four authors with different academic and industry backgrounds to describe GEC design and performance. It is aimed at civil engineers in general, particularly geotechnical engineers, either working in design or in practice, at graduate students, and at senior undergraduate students.

Soft Clay Engineering and Ground Improvement covers the design and implementation of ground improvement techniques as applicable to soft clays. This particular subject poses major geotechnical challenges in civil engineering. Not only civil engineers, but planners, architects, consultants and contractors are now aware what soft soils are and the risks associated with development of such areas. The book is designed as a reference and useful tool for those in the industry, both to consultants and contractors. It also benefits researchers and academics working on ground improvement of soft soils, and serves as an excellent overview for postgraduates. University lecturers are beginning to incorporate more ground improvement topics into their curricula, and this text would be ideal for short courses for practicing engineers. It includes several examples to assist a newcomer to carry out preliminary designs. The three authors, each with dozens of years of experience, have witnessed and participated in the rapid evolvement of ground improvement in soft soils. In addition, top-tier professionals who deal with soft clays and ground improvement on a daily basis have contributed, providing their expertise in dealing with real-world problems and practical solutions.