What is the impact of soil looseness on earthwork construction?

When building, attention must be paid to the foundation, otherwise it is easy to cause collapse! It has a direct impact on the earthwork balance planning, the amount of soil to be left behind during pit excavation, and the selection of transportation methods.

Platforms and structures that require the ground to bear weight during construction all pose safety hazards.

In its natural state, the volume of soil increases due to loosening after it is excavated; even after being backfilled and compacted, it cannot return to its original volume. This property is known as the looseness of soil. There are a initial looseness coefficient and a final looseness coefficient corresponding to it. Initially, the greater the looseness coefficient, the higher the total transportation cost. Check the details below

Looseness of soil: In soil in its natural state, after excavation its volume increases due to loosening; even after backfilling and compaction, it cannot return to its original volume. This phenomenon is known as the looseness of soil. The degree of looseness is expressed by the looseness coefficient: Ks = V2/V1, KS’ = V3/V1. Here, KS represents the initial looseness coefficient； KS’——final looseness coefficient ； V1 – The volume of soil in its natural state (m3). V2 – The loose volume of soil after it has been excavated (m3). V3 – The volume of soil after it has been backfilled and compacted (m3). What impact does this have on earthwork construction? Since the volume of earthwork is calculated based on the soil’s volume in its natural state, it is necessary to take into account the compressibility of the soil when planning the distribution of earthwork, calculating the productivity of earthmoving machinery, and determining the number of transport vehicles required. Because when soil is moved around, its volume increases once it is dug out of its natural state and transported away; as a result, it becomes difficult to predict how many trucks are needed to transport it. This is where the concept of soil looseness comes in handy – by using this value, we can determine exactly how many trucks are required to transport a certain volume of soil. In earthwork engineering, KS is an important parameter for calculating earthwork construction machinery and soil transport vehicles, while KS’ is an important parameter for determining the grading of the site surface and the amount of soil that needs to be excavated during filling. Additional answer: Similarly, when there are pits and areas that need to be filled in a construction site, to calculate the amount of soil required for filling, you need to use (KS’ – the final looseness coefficient). V3 = KS’ * V1; by knowing V3, you can determine V2 using KS. This way, you can figure out how many trucks are needed to transport the required amount of soil. In short, there is an initial looseness coefficient and a final looseness coefficient. Initially, the greater the looseness coefficient, the higher the total transportation cost.