Abstract
The present study considers the effect of variation of different geotechnical random variables in the design of stone column-foundation systems for assessing the bearing capacity of a highly compressible soil. The soil and stone column properties, spacing, diameter and arrangement of stone columns are considered as the random variables. A unit cell of a stone-column foundation system is modelled for assessing the bearing capacity of the system. Instead of using the conventional limit equilibrium method to calculate the probability of failure (Pf), numerical analysis is carried out in commercially available finite element (FE) software in order to simulate the mechanical behavior of the stone column. The limit state function is developed using response surface methods based on the FE models. A full factorial design is used to develop the non-linear response surface models. The study shows that the variation in cohesion of soil (cs) is one of the most important factors influencing FS. It is observed that the bearing capacity of stone column improved soft ground exceeds its safe value if the coefficient of variation (COV) of cs exceeds 30%. Accordingly, design guidelines for bearing capacity of improved ground, are proposed for different spacing and diameter of stone columns and geotechnical random variables.
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