Modelling of Stone Columns Reinforces Railway Embankments: Coupled DEM-FDM Analysis
Publication: Geo-Congress 2023
ABSTRACT
Stone columns have been increasingly adopted as an environmentally friendly and cost-effective method for stabilizing and reinforcing soft ground embankments. This paper presents a coupled modelling using the discrete element method and continuum modeling approach to study the load-deformation responses of stone columns. In the coupled discrete-continuum model, a soft soil domain under an embankment is simulated by the continuum method (i.e., finite difference method—FDM), while a stone column is simulated by the discrete element method (DEM). A series of interface elements are introduced to facilitate the force-displacement transmission of both domains. The DEM transfers moment and contact forces to the FDM, and then the FDM moves displacements back to the DEM. The model is calibrated and further validated by experimental data. Contact force distributions and shear stress contours developed in the stone column and surrounding clay are captured to provide a better understanding of the load-deformation responses of the stone column from a micromechanical perspective.
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Geo-Congress 2023
Pages: 235 - 245
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Published online: Mar 23, 2023
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