| Why soil compaction is important Potholes in roads, sinkholes in parking lots, and severe cracking or settling in foundations are very often the result of a poorly compacted base. With much attention focused on a structure, the condition of the ground beneath it is frequently neglected. This can cause a myriad of problems for homeowners, business owners, and road districts in the years to come. When soil is dug up or moved, it becomes aerated and loses some of its density. It must be compacted or allowed to settle before a structure (i.e., house, building, parking lot, sidewalk, etc) is built on top of it. When the soil naturally settles beneath a structure, a void remains between the bottom of the structure and the base material itself. This void provides no support for whatever structure rests upon the base, thus beginning a chain reaction of structural deterioration. If the soil is not compacted beneath a foundation, it may crack and deteriorate causing the house or building to "settle". Cracks and leaks in basement walls, cracks in drywall, and sagging concrete joints are examples of a poorly compacted base beneath a house. Little or no compaction of soil beneath a driveway or parking lot may eventually lead to sinkholes and potholes that can be very expensive to repair. A wide range of machines are available for soil compaction such as rammers, vibratory plate compactors, and trench rollers. Rammers (often called tampers or jumping jacks) use a shoe that pounds the soil to compact it. Rammers are vertical machines that are well suited for narrow trenches where a plate compactor may not fit. Vibratory plate compactors are walk behind compaction machines that use a wide vibrating steel plate that compacts the base. Plate compactors are often used with water on asphalt applications. Reversible plate compactors are usually bigger than their forward-direction-only counterparts, and are more well suited for bigger jobs. Vibratory trench rollers (usually remotely controlled or ride-on) have vibrating drums with feet that compact soil in deep trenches where it can be dangerous for workers. CLICK HERE TO VIEW WACKER COMPACTION EQUIPMENT |
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| Wacker DPU 4045H Reversible Plate Compactor |
| Wacker BS 50-2i Oil Injected Rammer Tamper |
| Wacker WP 1550 Vibratory Plate Compactor |
| Wacker RD 7H-ES Vibratory Double Drum Roller |
| Wacker RT 56-SC Vibratory Trench Roller |
