An Empirical Review of Innovative Soil Improvement Techniques in Geotechnical Engineering

Abstract

Acquisition of soils made a new dimension in geotechnical engineering due to increased demands on sustainability as well as effectiveness in infrastructure development. The traditional techniques of soil stabilization, ground reinforcement, and grouting have been in widespread use but often come out as not good enough when considered in terms of long-term performance, environmental impact, and adaptability to conditions at complicated sites. Most of the literature reviews concentrate on one or two techniques/advancements without giving an all-round view of the changing landscape of innovative soil improvement techniques. It tries to bridge this gap by conducting a comprehensive review of conventional as well as emerging techniques in soil stabilization, ground reinforcement, and grouting along with practical applications. The review process has been structured around three key categories. Prepare a list of traditional additive-based technologies for soil stabilization: cement, lime, fly ash, etc., along with modern ideas on using industrial by-products and nanomaterials, and added biotechnological methods like microbial-induced calcite precipitation. Methods of ground reinforcement would be compared with geosynthetics, geogrids, and other newer systems like stone columns, vibro-compaction, and soil nailing. Finally, the advancement of grouting is reviewed and the development of cementitious grouting, special grout mixtures, and modern injection techniques. All these will be integrated together to ensure that the review becomes clearer in presenting the advancements of geotechnical engineering by focusing on aspects of efficiency and sustainability within modern methods. In particular, incorporating the practical applications and case studies enhances the review of these techniques to illustrate relevance in practice, their economic and environmental impacts, and aspects of sustainable construction. In this way, this work lays a more solid foundation and contributes toward bridging the gap that lies between traditional and innovative soil improvement methods and thus pushes forward further effective and eco-friendly solutions in geotechnical engineering.