Abstract
Stone column is often employed for strengthening of an embankment seated on deep soft clay. But in very soft clay having undrained shear strength less than or equal to 15 kPa, stone column may not derive adequate load carrying capacity and undergo large lateral deformation due to inadequate lateral confinement. In such circumstances, reinforcement to individual stone column by geosynthetics enhances load carrying capacity and reduces lateral deformation. This paper addresses parametric study on behaviour of embankment resting on Geosynthetic Reinforced Stone Column (GRSC) considering parameters such as stone column spacing to diameter ratio, deformation modulus of stone column material, geosynthetic stiffness, thickness of soft clay, and height of embankment by 3D numerical analysis. Finally, equation for Settlement Improvement Factor (SIF), defined as ratio between settlement of embankment without treatment and with geosynthetic reinforced stone column, is proposed that correlates with the major influence parameters such as stone column spacing to diameter ratio, deformation modulus of soft clay, and geosynthetic stiffness.
Highlights
Embankment seated on deep soft clay may undergo large settlement both vertically and horizontally
Effect of stone column spacing to diameter ratio, deformation of stone column material and embankment fill, geosynthetic stiffness, height of embankment, and soft clay thickness on settlement of embankment was carried out by employing three-dimensional finite element modelling
The present study reveals that only two parameters, namely, stone column spacing to diameter ratio and non-dimensional parameter t, have significant influence on the settlement improvement factor
Summary
Embankment seated on deep soft clay may undergo large settlement both vertically and horizontally. Provision of stone column in the embankment foundation has advantage of (1) reinforcing effect, (2) reduction in settlement, and (3) acceleration of consolidation settlement. Soft clay may penetrate into the stone column [9]. To overcome these problems, individual stone column may be reinforced peripherally by using a suitable geosynthetic. Most of the previous studies have focused on the effect of geosynthetic reinforcement on load carrying capacity of isolated stone column only. Effect of GRSC spacing to diameter ratio, deformation of stone column material, geosynthetic stiffness, thickness of soft clay, and height of embankment on embankment settlement is studied. Based on the present study, equation for SIF is proposed
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