Foundation requirements for the buildings of the Paks nuclear power plant, Hungary

Prior to the construction of the Paks nuclear plant buildings, the soil mechanics had to be taken into consideration. The investigations needed for the foundation of the power plant are discussed. The strata of the soil under the site were explored. The load bearing capability and the solidity of the soil was investigated using a dynamic probe technique with 137Cs isotope. The groundwater level was also studied. It was found that the stratification is uniform, the ground subsidence conditions are acceptable and the strata are well loadable. The packing of the grained strata is difficult but the landfilling was constructed to form a dense ground. (author)