Rapid impact compaction (RIC) is a variant of dynamic compaction developed in the 1990s using relatively small size equipment which produces less noise and vibration. The technique uses a hydraulic hammer and an anvil to densify granular soils for shallow depths up to around 5 m. Similar to dynamic compaction, RIC is effective for compacting granular soils such as sand and gravel. The soils compacted with RIC will have higher bearing capacity and ready for future construction.

The RIC rig typically consists of a hydraulic hammer mounted on an excavator. The hammer with a weight ranging from 5 up to 12 tons is dropped freely from a height up to 1.2 m on a circular foot with a diameter of about 1.5 m. Impacts repeated at a rate ranging from 40 up to 60 blows per minute plunge the steel foot creating a crater.

The control system installed in the operator’s cab allows for controlling the compaction process and recording the parameters such as impact energy or foot penetration. Moreover, it can also be used to change the height from which the hammer is dropped. The compaction in the RIC technology is usually preceded by creating a test plot where the compaction is performed for various spacing and rates of blows. Then, the local compaction of the improved soil is tested and the optimal grid spacing and the number of blows per one point are determined. Depending on the soil, the number of blows varies between 10 and 40 per one point.

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Menard Asia is a specialist geotechnical EPC contractor offering ground improvement and remediation works in Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Philippines, Thailand, and other South-East Asia Countries