Ground Improvement of Marine Clay for Highway Construction in Mumbai, India

Abstract

Ground improvement of marine clays is the most inventive field of geotechnical engineering. Various techniques such as use of prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs), vacuum consolidation, stone columns etc. are available for improving the mechanical and engineering properties of the marine clays. In the present paper, the use of PVDs with preload for improving the soft marine clay that support the sub grade of State Highway No. 54 from Panvel to Uran at Mumbai, India is studied. The 3.25km stretch of marine clay was present up to a depth of 12-15m. As the road connects to the Jawaharlal Nehru Port (India's major hub port) road, heavy traffic is expected to be moving through this road. Staged embankment construction of 4.30m height with PVDs was employed to sustain the heavy vehicular traffic load and to reduce the post-construction settlement. A total of 650 thousand running meter PVDs were installed at a spacing of 1.20m. The 4.30m high preload was kept in stages for a period of 6months. Various instruments were installed to monitor the pore water pressure, settlement and lateral displacements. The substantial settlement of 636mm was achieved during this period.

Bodily rights and collective claims: the work of legal activists in interpreting reproductive and maternal rights in India

“…The Supreme Court judgment for this case ultimately ruled in favour of the petitioners and the case drew global and national attention to the issue of reproductive rights in India. Notably, while many other cases of reproductive rights have been filed in the past (see Desai & Mahabal 2007 for a comprehensive overview), this was the first instance in which the judgment explicitly used the language of reproductive rights in a court decision. 'Reproductive rights' are cited as 'the right to reproductive health of the mother and the right to health of the infant child' ('Laxmi Mandal case': 12) and rights guaranteed by the Indian Constitution (specifically Article 21 on the right to life) as well as international human rights covenants ratified by India ('Laxmi Mandal case ': 12-19) In its explicit use of rights language in addressing reproductive justice issues, as well as its focus on the state as both the primary purveyor and violator of reproductive rights, KANUN draws upon specific cases of maternal mortality to address what it perceives to be in the interest of the larger collective.…”

Coupled Surcharge-Vacuum Preloading Consolidation with PVDs Including Time-Variable Discharge Capacity Under Varying Permeability in Smear Zone

“…Additional weight or surcharge on the ground surface, typically fill material, increases the stress on the underlying soil mass, causes the pore water to be expelled from the soil, and decreases soil volume. This method is beneficial in preparing such ground for construction by reducing post-construction settlement and enhancing the load-bearing capacity (Barron, 1948;Desai et al, 2015). In addition to surcharge, vacuum preloading, also known as vacuum consolidation, accelerates the consolidation process (Kjellman, 1942;Indraratna et al, 2004Indraratna et al, , 2005Geng et al, 2012).…”