Soil compaction for a residential tower, Gronau

Radke Wohnbau GmbH is constructing three residential buildings in Gronau, in the Münster region. To ensure a secure foundation for the floor slab, Stump-Franki manufactured approximately 160 load-bearing vibrated stone columns measuring up to 8m in length. This project was completed on schedule and to the complete satisfaction of the employer. Stump-Franki Planung GmbH was responsible for planning.

Economical, fast and environmentally friendly foundations

The vibro replacement method requires neither concrete nor cement, instead using excavated soil material to create the supporting columns.

This makes it one of the most economical, fast and environmentally friendly processes on offer for improving settlement-prone soil at depth. Compaction using gravel or stone columns increases shear strength and load bearing capacity and is particularly useful in close-grained or mixed-grain soil types. Once the vibrator is sunk to the required depth, columns are gradually manufactured from bottom to top. In the process, the coarse-grained backfill material is compressed by the pressurised air in the cavity, and the repeated lifting up and dropping of the vibrator tip laterally displaces and compacts the soil.