Numerical Analyses of Laboratory-Modelled Reinforced Stone Column

A stone column develops its vertical load carrying capacity by the lateral pressure provided by the surrounding soil. In very soft clay (C_u ≤ 15 kPa), the stone column may not derive its load carrying capacity. Sometimes the formation of stone column is doubtful. In such cases, the stone column may be wrapped with geosynthetic peripherally (circumferentially). Normally, reinforced stone columns are used for widely spread areas like air tank foundation and embankment in which they confined by surrounding the columns. The performance of a small group of reinforced stone columns is complex. This communication focuses on the numerical modelling of a small group of laboratory- modelled reinforced stone columns. The study is carried out considering parameters like area replacement ratio (ARR), stiffness of reinforcement material and reinforcement length. The performance of reinforced stone column group is discussed in terms of bearing ratio, (q/C_u)-settlement ratio, stress concentration factor and lateral deformation. The results of numerical analyses indicate that ARR and stiffness of geosynthetic are the governing parameters for enhancing the performance of reinforced stone column. The performance of partial reinforced stone column is close to that of a fully reinforced stone column.