Settlement Behaviour of Soft Soil Reinforced with Geogrid Encased Stone Column under Sustained Loading

Abstract

The use of stone columns in improving the bearing capacity of soft soil is well researched, but the understanding of settlement requires further studies. This paper presents the results of a series of laboratory tests carried out to study the settlement behavior of soft soil bed reinforced with ordinary stone column (OSC) and Geogrid encased stone columns (GESC). Kaolin was used as the soft soil and stones of size from 2.5 to 10 mm were used as column material. The stone columns of four different diameters were installed, by the method of replacement, into the soil having undrained shear strength of 22.5 kPa. The OSC and GESC test beds were subjected to pressure of 250 and 300 kPa. Each pressure was sustained for 24 hours and the settlement of the composite soil with time was noted. It is found that Geogrid encased stone columns have small settlement than the corresponding ordinary stone columns. The SRR (settlement reduction ratio) being a measure of ground improvement, is found increasing with the area replacement ratio. Further, at a particular sustained pressure SRR is found more for GESC than the corresponding value for OSC.