Vibration reduction techniques for Rapid Impulse Compaction (RIC)

New investments on anthropogenic soils bring the necessity for reliable and sustainable soil improvement methods. When the fill contains mainly non-cohesive soils and large thickness of material layers is considered, its physical properties can be improved by means of Rapid Impulse Compaction technology. Large energy of every impulse imposed by the mass of the hammer and drop height (with acceleration) makes it possible for relatively fast completion of works but causes large noise and severe vibrations. Environmental impact on adjacent structures may also cause some destruction and form the basis for legal claims. When serious damages appear in neighbouring buildings and structures, complains and claims are inevitable. Reduction of this negative impact may be achieved by means of technology calibration or other active and passive measures. The paper presents the description of that problem, some literature review and a case study describing how the intensity of vibrations may be to some extent reduced by means of hammer drop height reduction and digging a trench around the worksite. © 2020 Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.