Quality control of Cutter Soil Mixing (CSM) technology – a case study

The Cutter Soil Mixing (CSM) is a relatively new Deep Mixing (DM) method that oilers versatile construction solutions suitable for various types of ground improvement. Besides the many advantages compared to the most common DM methods, CSM has a high level of process control. Quality control and quality assurance (QC/QA) procedures are essential aspects of each DM project, and a successful treatment is related closely to the professional ability to control and verify the DM construction. This paper presents the results of laboratory tests carried out on wet grab samples collected from a CSM construction site characterized by the presence of sandy soil. Similar soil-binder mixture were then produced and tested in the laboratory accordingly, using the same binder adopted for the in situ panel construction and the sandy soil taken directly from the jobsite. A comparison between the results obtained by UC tests carried out on the wet grab and the laboratory mixed samples is also presented. The results obtained using an innovative experimental apparatus underline the influence of the physical and chemical characteristics of the natural soil on the strength gain of the stabilized material.