CASE STUDY

Ground Improvement
Vibro stone columns
Work type

RB Vibro stone columns

Main Contractor
Client
Location

Silverstone Racetrack,
Northamptonshire

Project Brief
Foundations for a new state of the art
technical school on the site of the world
famous Silverstone Racing Circuit in
Northamptonshire. Silverstone University
Technical College offers academic and
technical learning in high performance
engineering, motorsport and technical
event management for youngsters aged
between 14 and 19. The building is
located to the north of the National Pits
Straight Grandstands at the circuit.

Key issues/
requirements
T 
The soils underlying the site
comprised of made ground of
firm gravely sandy clay to depths
of 2.5m 3m, with an expected
cohesion of 65-70kN/m2, over
firm becoming stiff slightly sandy,
natural, clay soils, with a strength
in the region of 150kN/m2. Below
this were boulder clays, formed
130,000 to 200,000 years ago
during a Glacial period known as
the Wolstonian.
T Made ground is, by its nature
unpredictable, and unless it
has been placed in the correct
manner and proven by test data
established when it was placed,
it is unlikely to be a reliable
founding material.
T Generally, for traditional
foundations to be installed,
excavations would be taken down
to the natural, more predictable
soils. In this case to depths in the
region of 3m below ground level.

ROGER BULLIVANT LIMITED

T. 0845 838 1801

www.roger-bullivant.co.uk

Ground Improvement

Solution
Roger Bullivant Limited (RBL)
proposed a value engineered
solution utilising vibro stone
columns which would introduce
reinforcement to the soil prole and
therefore improve its geotechnical
properties.
A total of No. 998 stone columns
were installed below the school
building to depths of 3.5m 4m.
This provided a bearing capacity of
150kN/m2 below the foundations
and 50kN/m2 below the oor slab
and also controlled the potential for
any future settlement.

The vibrating probe is inserted

into the ground to the design
depth. The probe displaces the
existing soils and forms a void.

In order to meet the design

requirements, stone columns were
concentrated below the foundations
to provide a bearing capacity of
150kN/m2; whilst below the oor
slab, in order to meet the reduced
requirement of a 50kN/m2 bearing
capacity, the column spacing was
increased to 2.5m square grid
layout. In both cases the maximum
total settlement would be limited to
25mm.
Stone columns with a diameter of
approximately 450mm diameter
were installed to refusal, which was
expected to equate to approximately
3.5m.
An important element of the overall
design package is the method of
vibrating the poker to refusal, instead
of working to a design depth. This

enables operations to be adjusted

to take into account the inevitable
variations in soil strength across the
works area.
The overall result was to allow pad
foundations to be formed at a higher
level, within the made ground, and a
reduction in the size of the pads, through
an increase in the imposed load per
meter squared.
Foundation testing after installation
conrmed that the design would achieve
the required specication. Vibro stone
columns can be installed in all weather
conditions including low temperatures.
Heavy snowfall proved challenging to
the RBL team on site but only one day
was lost due to the adverse weather
conditions.

The probe is withdrawn and the

void is charged with stone.
Reintroduction of the probe
compacts the stone, forcing it
into the surrounding soil.

Roger Bullivant Ltd. Head Office, Walton Road, Drakelow, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire DE15 9UA
T. 0845 838 1801 F. 01283 517 704 E. marketing@roger-bullivant.co.uk www.roger-bullivant.co.uk

Repeated compaction of the

column forms a granular
inclusion with high stiffness,
shear strength and good
drainage properties.