Reinforced Stone Columns in Weak Deposits: Laboratory Model Study
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 133, Issue 9
Abstract
This paper investigates the performance of stone columns in a weak deposit such as peat. It evaluates the effects of reinforcing stone columns by jacketing with a tubular wire mesh and bridging reinforcement with a metal rod and a concrete plug. A series of plate loading tests was conducted on isolated stone columns installed in a soil bed consisting of a peat layer sandwiched between two layers of sand. The load–displacement characteristics of footings supported by stone columns were investigated by applying load to a circular plate supported on: (a) untreated soil; (b) soil treated with stone columns; and (c) soil treated with stone columns reinforced with the above reinforcing techniques. The work has shown that the settlement characteristics of the soil can be improved by installing stone columns and that a significant enhancement in the load–settlement response is achieved when the columns are reinforced by the various methods.
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Acknowledgments
The writers would like to thank Keller Ground Engineering Coventry, the UK, London, for funding the project, the Department of Education and Learning Northern Ireland, and the Institution of Engineers Ireland who provided research scholarships to the first writer Mr. T. Crothers and his team in the Mechanical Workshop at Queen’s University, Belfast carried out the fabrication of the test apparatus.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 133 • Issue 9 • September 2007
Pages: 1154 - 1161
Copyright
© 2007 ASCE.
History
Received: Jan 30, 2006
Accepted: Dec 28, 2006
Published online: Sep 1, 2007
Published in print: Sep 2007
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