Improved Prediction of Lateral Deformations due to Installation of Soil-Cement Columns

Abstract

A modified method is proposed for predicting the lateral displacements of the ground caused by installation of soil-cement columns. The method is a combination of the original method derived on the basis of the theory of cylindrical cavity expansion in an infinite medium and a correction function introduced to consider the effect of the limited length of the columns. The correction function has been developed by comparing the solutions obtained using the spherical and the cylindrical cavity expansion theories for a single column installation. Both the original and the modified methods have been applied to a case history reported in the literature, which involves clay soils, and the predictions are compared with field measurements. The advantage of the modified method over the original method is demonstrated. Finally, the modified method has also been applied to a case history involving loose sandy ground, and the calculations show that the method can also be used for this type of soil provided that appropriate consideration is given to the volumetric strain occurring in the plastic zone of soil surrounding the soil-cement columns.