Controlled Modulus Columns (CMC) are installed as rigid inclusions in the soil for the purpose of enhancing the global modulus of otherwise incompetent soil. CMC are installed in a grid pattern to accommodate the imposition of large dead or live loads and contain settlements within acceptable limits.
CMC are formed by rotary techniques using an auger designed displace the soil laterally during installation. They have undergone development by Menard Bachy in recent times and represent a significant refinement of the traditional displacement pile, with the outcome that CMC have achieved the optimisation of the rotary displacement technique.
CMC recognise the limitations of penetration into stiff soils and rocks of the displacement auger and in contrast to displacement piles, seek to enhance the engineering properties of the less competent soils through which they are installed, in particular the global moduli of those soils, and thereby, control and contain the settlement characteristic of the composite soil strata within acceptable limits. CMC are particularly suited to supporting large uniform dead or live loads, such as occur under, road embankment, storage tanks and warehouses.
High capacity equipment is essential for CMC installation. The forces required for the lateral displacement of soil dictate the need for both high torque and high crowd force to be delivered from the installation rig.
Advantages of CMC:
Objectives:
