To improve the in-situ soil properties of a new port container terminal under construction, Nicholson installed a composite ground improvement system consisting of 1,312 stone columns and vibro-compaction points. The stone columns, installed using the dry-bottom-feed method, reached depths of 75 feet in the port’s soft clays, clayey sands, and silty sands. The vibro-compaction was carried out in hydraulically placed sands overlying clays and reached a maximum depth of 40 feet. In total, 13,129 cubic yards of stone columns were constructed and 24,655 linear feet of vibro-compaction was performed. Nicholson used the Jean Lutz instrumentation system to measure amperage, inclination, quantity of stone placed, and the depth of the vibro probe.
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