A massive access shaft for a new sewer tunnel must be excavated through a thick layer of loose, highly permeable, water-bearing sand. Dewatering the site is impossible because lowering the local water table would cause catastrophic settlement to surrounding historic structures. The engineer specifies Artificial Ground Freezing (AGF).

During an AGF project to stabilize a soft, saturated clay layer for a tunnel cross-passage, surface monitoring detects significant and uneven upward movement (heave) of the pavement above the freezing zone.

A high-speed rail line is routed through a remote, arid region containing deep deposits of highly expansive montmorillonite clay. Transporting massive amounts of lime or cement to the site is logistically prohibitive. The engineer proposes in-situ soil heating (vitrification).

An abandoned industrial site is slated for commercial redevelopment. The geotechnical investigation reveals that the soil is highly contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and petroleum hydrocarbons. Before any structural ground improvement can begin, the environmental hazard must be mitigated.

A coastal community relies on a series of loose sand dunes to protect it from storm surges. The loose sand is highly susceptible to wind and wave erosion. Traditional grouting or chemical stabilization is rejected by environmental regulators due to toxicity concerns. The engineer proposes MICP to cement the sand.

An aging earth-fill dam is experiencing minor, but steadily increasing, seepage through microscopic fissures in its clay core. The fissures are too small to accept standard cement grout ($N_R$ is too low).