ORE TERMINAL BUILT ON SWAMPLAND

An ore transfer terminal built on swampland and completed several months ahead of schedule is described. The use of civil engineering fabric membrane is cited as the principal reason for this success. The soil conditions were made up of totally saturated clays and the site was covered with swamp grass and mud holes. An attempt to dewater the site and achieve stable soil conditions prooved too time consuming, and with little immediate results. The alternative technique was to insert fabric-lined trenches for long-term dewatering and construct a fabric-separated granular layer over the entire site to allow immediate development. This alternative was not only cost effective but also eliminated the problem of disposing excavated soil. Because of the high extensibility of the fabric no preparation was needed. The function of the fabric in this context was to prevent the down-punching of granular overfill into the in-situ sub-grade clay. The fabric is rolled out directly over the vegetation and mud and then covered with sand which was levelled and compacted. This produced a roadway that enabled an excavator to dig a deep ditch alongside and to support heavily loaded trucks. Lateral ditches were constructed to drain into it. These ditches were then lined with the fabric membrane and backfilled with ungraded crushed stone. After the drains were installed, the entire site was then covered with the fabric membrane. The technical and economic success of this system depends on the separation and reinforcement properties of the fabric and the ability of the fabric to offer resistance to compaction forces. After three years the membrane fabric still retained its full strength, the soil beneath had drained and compacted, and the drains were still clear and free flowing.

• Availability:
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• Corporate Authors:

  Foundation Publications Limited

  7 Ongar Road
  Brentwood CM15 9AU, Essex,   England 
• Publication Date: 1977-7

Media Info

• Features: Figures;
• Pagination: p. 43-44
• Serial:
  • GROUND ENGINEERING
  • Volume: 10
  • Issue Number: 5
  • Publisher: EMAP CONSTRUCT LIMITED
  • ISSN: 0017-4653

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Backfilling; Clay; Compaction; Costs; Drains; Fabrics; Overtopping; Sand; Soil stabilization; Swamps
• Uncontrolled Terms: Membranes
• Old TRIS Terms: Backfills; Membranes (Biology); Overfills
• Subject Areas: Finance; Geotechnology; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00165946
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 26 1978 12:00AM