4. Glossary

Ballasted column

A column of granular material (ballast) pushed into poor-quality soil and compacted in successive passes from bottom to top. A ballasted column is a soil improvement process: it is neither a foundation element nor a deep foundation.

Rigid inclusion

A vertical element made of concrete, steel or wood that can be installed in the ground and has sufficient strength to allow it to be removed without losing its structural properties. Its diameter is between 25 and 50 cm; most of the time, concrete or mortar inclusions are not reinforced.

Geosynthetics

Product in which at least one of the constituents is based on a synthetic or natural polymer, in the form of a sheet, strip or three-dimensional structure, used in contact with soil or other materials, in...