Congress Agenda

Designing foundations for structures on mineral-organic soils, such as gyttja, involves a number of serious geotechnical challenges. This is very often due to a limited (formulaic) and therefore inadequate assessment of soil conditions. Incomplete and/or misinterpreted data lead to mounting problems on the construction site, with serious consequences (and costs). These problems stem from the properties of the soil, which are determined by its composition (organic matter, organic remains, calcium carbonate, mineral particles) related to its origin (limnic sediments, sapropel), its structure resulting from sedimentation conditions (heterogeneous, spongy structure), and characteristics associated with diagenesis and age (e.g., thixotropy). Gytie are characterized by high variability in occurrence (variable thickness), but usually within a limited spatial distribution (within the boundaries of the sedimentary basin). These soils are characterized by low shear strength and high compressibility, associated with high shrinkage potential and sensitivity to dynamic loads. In standard in-situ investigations or laboratory tests on gyttja, seemingly high strength parameters are often obtained (but with large deformations), which may suggest “better” foundation conditions, indicating apparent opportunities for optimizing the solution.

The latest advances in foundation engineering highlight the growing demand for effective, low-impact, and high-performance drilling technologies. The presentation will discuss Vibrodrill technology—a rotary-vibration drilling drive developed by Terra Infrastructure (formerly thyssenkrupp), currently recognized as one of the most significant technological innovations in the field of deep foundation engineering.
Vibrodrill combines controlled torque with applied vertical vibrations, resulting in better ground penetration, lower drilling resistance, and greater tool stability compared to conventional rotary drilling drives. The speaker will compare various drilling drive concepts—purely rotary, top-hammer, and vibration-assisted—in terms of drilling performance, energy efficiency, tool-soil interaction, and operational limitations. Significant emphasis will be placed on practical experience gained in international infrastructure projects.
The case studies will include, among others, the construction of the Nordhavns Tunnel in Copenhagen and large-scale foundation work in Hong Kong and Italy, demonstrating the effectiveness of Vibrodrill technology in a variety of soil and rock conditions. The presented design data will illustrate tangible benefits, such as increased work efficiency, reduced tool wear, lower noise levels, and reduced vibration transmission to the surrounding area, as well as greater reliability in project execution.
Developed and manufactured in Germany, the Vibrodrill exemplifies “Made in Germany” engineering in international applications. Its integration with carrier machines from many global manufacturers—including Casagrande, Comacchio, Hütte, HD, Klemm, Marini, Beretta, CZM, and MAIT—confirms the solution’s versatility and growing acceptance in the global foundation market.
The presentation will conclude with a discussion of potential directions for the development of vibration-assisted drilling and its role in addressing the technical and environmental challenges of modern geotechnical projects.

The presentation will outline the key implementation factors for the project. Particular attention will be paid to geological and hydrogeological aspects, which significantly influenced the chosen technical solutions and the organization of the work.

Ekspert przedstawi geotechniczne aspekty realizacji wysokościowca „The Bridge” w Warszawie, gdzie czterokondygnacyjny wykop o głębokości ok. 18 m wykonano w ścisłej zabudowie miejskiej i przy wysokim poziomie wód gruntowych. Keller Polska, jako lider geotechniki w Polsce, zrealizował kompleksowy system posadowienia typu pile-raft foundation, oparty na ścianach szczelinowych, baretach fundamentowych oraz poziomej przesłonie przeciwfiltracyjnej w technologii jet grouting, tworzących układ technologicznie szczelny. Kluczowe znaczenie miała integracja projektowania z wykonawstwem, etapowanie robót oraz zastosowanie tymczasowej platformy roboczej optymalizującej logistykę budowy. Przykład ten pokazuje, jak zaawansowana geotechnika umożliwia bezpieczną realizację głębokich wykopów w wymagających warunkach miejskich.

Hydraulic engineering projects undertaken in Poland in recent years have been characterized by increasing boldness, ambition, and technical scale. One such project is the construction of the Baltic Hub. This presentation provides a technical overview of the monitoring of flap anchors carried out during intensive dredging, backfilling, and installation work—under conditions of variable loading in a marine environment.
The presentation will cover a comprehensive approach to anchorage instrumentation using strain gauge technology, measurement system configuration, and data acquisition and quality control. Based on actual results from selected anchors, axial forces and bending moments at various stages of construction will be discussed, along with their correlation with the construction schedule and FEM calculation assumptions.
This case study demonstrates how monitoring can serve as a tool for engineering verification of a design model, support for construction decisions, and a source of knowledge about the actual performance of the wall-anchor system.

Dynamic technological development in the field of building materials chemistry opens up new opportunities for introducing innovative technological solutions. The same applies to geotechnics. The ground, as an integral part of every building structure, is subject to various processes throughout the entire life cycle of the structure – changes in the groundwater level, settlement resulting, for example, from construction errors or increased loads, frost cycles, or soil erosion. These phenomena can lead to structural deformation, excessive settlement, cracking, and other damage.
To counteract this, work is underway to reinforce the soil. In traditional methods, such as compaction, DSM, or jet grouting, cement- or silicate-based materials are primarily used. Mineral materials perform well in many applications, but they also have significant technological limitations:
are sensitive to the presence of water in the soil, especially flowing water,
are characterized by a relatively long setting time,
When applying them, do not use too much pressure—they effectively fill larger voids in the soil but do not penetrate deeply into its structure.
A complementary approach to mineral-based technologies is the method of soil reinforcement using polymer injections. In this technology, polymer resin—most commonly highly modified polyurethane resin—is injected into the soil under pressure. Its advantage lies in its ability to penetrate the soil structure and form a resin-soil composite with high compressive strength.
The material is applied using a two-component injection pump through injection lances of the appropriate length. An additional advantage is the very short reaction time—the resin sets within a few dozen seconds (this time can be adjusted), and the material itself remains unaffected by the presence of water in the ground, even when water is flowing.

The modernization or construction of new sections of railway lines, particularly high-speed and very high-speed lines, in southern Poland—where the routes pass through hilly and mountainous terrain—poses a significant engineering challenge, often requiring the use of advanced geotechnical solutions.
Examples of such projects include the ongoing modernization of railway line No. 104 on the Chabówka–Nowy Sącz section and the upcoming construction of new lines: No. 622 (Węgrzyce Wielkie–Tymbark), 623 (Fornale–Szczyrzyc), 627 (Baliachówka–Podłęże), and 628 (Porąbka–Stróża). These investments are part of the so-called “Podłęże–Piekiełko” system. Key challenges facing engineers, including geotechnical engineers, include: stabilizing and securing areas at risk of landslides, constructing retaining structures to allow for the undercutting of slopes and embankments, building tunnel portals, providing protection against rockfalls, foundation work for engineering structures, and reinforcing the subgrade.
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An integrated waste management model should be based on three main principles: waste prevention, ensuring reuse, and waste disposal. The presentation will describe the main categories of industrial waste found in landfills:
– waste from the flotation enrichment of non-ferrous metal ores,
– post-flotation waste and other waste from the washing and processing of minerals,
– waste from power plants and other combustion facilities,
– waste from the extraction of minerals other than metal ores, as well as slag from smelting processes and waste from the construction industry.
The geotechnical properties of these materials will be discussed, and their most important applications in earthworks will be highlighted.
The geotechnical properties of waste materials used in earthworks often exceed those of mineral soils with comparable grain sizes. Industrial byproducts and waste materials are therefore valuable anthropogenic soils with a wide range of applications.

When planning a project using diaphragm walls, the designer follows the recommendations and limitations set forth by design standards, as well as other guidelines describing, among other things, the maximum permissible displacements of the retaining structure. To limit deformations during construction, ground anchors, steel struts, or strut-supported slabs are used, among other measures. By utilizing prestressing technology, the author proposes an alternative method for constructing the underground portion of the project within a diaphragm wall enclosure. This proposal is based on the concept of one-sided prestressing of beams during construction. The results of model tests based on the author’s solution to the problem will be presented, including current implementation possibilities, limitations of the method, and the advantages of the presented concept in terms of schedule savings.
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