Behavior of an Embankment on Stone Column-Reinforced Soft Soil

Abstract

Reinforcing soft soils with good drainage and load-bearing material is a common practice in the construction of embankments. Stone columns are among the granular materials that accelerate consolidation settlements due to their high drainage capacities. This study aims to investigate the behavior of an embankment on stone column-reinforced soft soil. The embankment was analyzed using the Plaxis 2D Finite Element Method. The columns were converted into equivalent walls using the plane strain conversion method. This method was validated with field measurement results from previous studies and showed good agreement. According to the research findings, stone columns significantly reduced deformations and improved consolidation. For instance, the ultimate settlement was decreased from 54.3 mm to 33.1 mm for 10% and 20% area replacement ratios, respectively. As the safety analysis verified, basal geosynthetics contributed substantially to the embankment’s stability. Furthermore, the safety factor values increased for all stages of the construction, and the global safety factor increased at the end of the construction. Stone columns and basal geogrid-reinforced soft soil can reduce settlement and increase the stability of an embankment.