Much of the inhabited land in Qu bec is located on the site of the Champlain Sea and contains vast marine clay deposits which place limitations on road construction. These clayey foundations, often plastic, do not provide sufficient support for excessive loads like roadbeds and require costly reinforcement such as the use of berms to reduce slopes, the construction of vertical drains, or the use of light materials. An initial study on this subject served to evaluate the electro-injection method. The objective of this study is to evaluate a second method, that of consolidation by vacuum treatment and heating. The method consists in applying a load equivalent to atmospheric pressure and creating a vacuum beneath an impermeable membrane.
Heating increases the speed and degree of consolidation.
The project calls for the construction of a test strip composed of three zones. The first undergoes no particular procedure and constitutes the control zone. To begin with, the test site is studied and its soil characterized. This page is also available in 97 for Windows format.