Modeling the Behavior of Geosynthetic Encased Columns: Influence of Granular Soil Constitutive Model
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 12, Issue 4
Abstract
Using a high-strength geosynthetic for encasement of granular columns increases the strength of a given column and improves its stress-displacement response. This paper describes the results from a series of three-dimensional finite-element analyses that were performed to simulate the behavior of a single geosynthetic-encased column in soft clay. To examine the sensitivity of the results to the constitutive model that was used to simulate the behavior of the encased granular soil, analyses were performed using models for the encased soil possessing various levels of sophistication. For each model that was studied, comparative analyses were performed to simulate the behavior of a dense and a loose granular soil within the encasement. The results demonstrate the importance of selecting a constitutive model that accurately captures the shear-induced volume-change behavior of the encased granular soil. Additional findings provide guidance for other researchers seeking to model the behavior of geosynthetic-encased columns and are useful for practitioners looking to enhance their understanding of the performance of different constitutive models for simulating the behavior of similar foundation elements.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
This material is based on work supported in part by the Geosynthetic Institute under its GSI Fellowship Program. The Single Hardening UMAT routines were provided by Prof. Poul Lade (The Catholic University of America), and his support is gratefully acknowledged.
References
Aboshi, H., Ichimoto, E., Enoki, M., and Harada, K. (1979). “The compozer-a method to improve characteristics of soft clay by inclusion of large diameter sand columns.” Proc., Int. Conf. on Soil Reinforcement: Reinforced Earth and Other Techniques, Paris, 1, 211–216.
Abu-Farsakhl, M., Coronel, J., and Tao, M. (2007). “Effect of soil moisture content and dry density on cohesive soil—Geosynthetic interactions using large direct shear tests.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng., 19(7), 540–549.JMCEE7
Al-Joulani, N., and Bauer, G. E. (1995). “Laboratory behavior of sleeve-reinforced stone columns.” Geosynthetics ’95 Conf. Proc., Industrial Fabrics Association International, Roseville, MN, 1111–1123.
Alexiew, D., Brokemper, D., and Lothspeich, S. (2005). “Geotextile encased columns (GEC): Load capacity, geotextile selection and pre-design graphs.” Proc. Geo-Frontiers 2005 Congress, ASCE, Rezston, VA, 1–14.
Ambily, A. P., and Gandhi, S. R. (2007). “Behavior of stone columns based on experimental and FEM analysis.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng.JGGEFK, 133(4), 405–415.
Araujo, G. L. S., Palmeira, E. M., and Cunha, R. P. (2009). “Behaviour of geosynthetic-encased granular columns in porous collapsible soil.” Geosynth. Int.GINTFD, 16(6), 433–451.
Balasubramaniam, A. S., and Chaudry, A. R. (1978). “Deformation and strength characteristics of soft Bangkok clay.” J. Geotech. Eng. Div.AJGEB6, 104(9), 1153–1167.
Barksdale, R. D., and Bachus, R. C. (1983). “Design and construction of stone columns, vol. 1.” Rep. No. SCEGIT-83-10, Federal Highway Administration, Office of Engineering and Highway Operations, Research and Development, Washington, DC.
Bergado, D. T., Anderson, L. R., Miura, N., and Balasubramanian, A. S. (1996). Soft ground improvement in lowland and other environments, ASCE Press, New York.
Bolton, M. (1979). A guide to soil mechanics, MacMillan, London, 439.
Boscardin, M. D., Selig, E. T., Lin, R. S., and Yang, G. R. (1990). “Hyperbolic parameters for compacted soils.” J. Geotech. Eng., 116(1), 88–104.JGENDZ
de Mello, L. G., Mondolfo, M., Montez, F., Tsukahara, C. N., and Bilfinger, W. (2008). “First use of geosynthetic encased sand columns in South America.” Proc., 1st Pan-American Geosynthetics Conf., GeoAmericas 2008, geosynthetica.net, Jupiter, FL, 1332–1341.
Duncan, J. M. (1980). “Hyperbolic stress-strain relationships.” Proc. Workshop on Limit Equilibrium, Plasticity and Generalized Stress-Strain in Geotechnical Engineering, Yong, R. K. and Ko, H.-Y., eds., ASCE, Reston, VA, 443–460.
Duncan, J. M., and Chang, C. Y. (1970). “Nonlinear analysis of stress and strain in soils.” J. Soil Mech. Found. Div.JSFEAQ, 96(5), 1629–1653.
Elias, V., Welsh, J., Warren, J., Lukas, R., Collin, G., and Berg, R. R. (2006). “Ground improvement methods.” Vol. II, Rep. No. FHWA-NHI-06-020, Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Dept. of Transportation, Washington, DC.
Elshazly, H., Elkasabgy, M., and Elleboudy, A. (2008). “Effect of inter-column spacing on soil stresses due to vibro-installed stone columns: Interesting findings.” Geotech. Geol. Eng.GGENE3, 26(2), 225–236.
Gniel, J., and Bouazza, A. (2009a). “Improvement of soft soils using geogrid encased stone columns.” Geotext. Geomembr., 27(3), 167–175.
Gniel, J., and Bouazza, A. (2009b). “Numerical modeling of small-scale geogrid encased sand column tests.” Geotechnics of Soft Soils: Focus on Ground Improvement; Proc., 2nd Int. Workshop on Geotechnics of Soft Soils, Taylor & Francis Group, London, 143–149.
Gniel, J., and Bouazza, A. (2010). “Construction of geogrid encased stone columns: A new proposal based on laboratory testing.” Geotext. Geomembr., 28(1), 108–118.
Greenwood, D. A. (1970). “Mechanical improvement of soils below surface.” Proc., Conf. on Ground Engineering, Institution of Civil Engineers, London, 11–22.
Guetif, Z, Bouassida, M., and Debats, J. M. (2007). “Improved soft clay characteristics due to stone column installation.” Comput. Geotech., 34, 104–111.CGEOEU
Hatami, K., and Bathurst, R. J. (2005). “Development and verification of a numerical model for the analysis of geosynthetic reinforced soil segmental walls under working stress conditions.” Can. Geotech. J., 42(4), 1066–1085.CGJOAH
Hibbitt, H. D., Karlsson, B., and Sorensen, P. (2007). ABAQUS user’s manual, Version 6.7, ABAQUS, Pawtucket, RI.
Holtz, R. D., and Kovacs, W. D. (1981). An introduction to geotechnical engineering, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 733.
Huang, B., Bathurst, R. J., and Hatami, K. (2009). “Numerical study of reinforced soil segmental walls using three different constitutive soil models.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng.JGGEFK, 135(10), 1486–1498.
Jakobsen, K. P., and Lade, P. V. (2002). “Implementation algorithm for a single hardening constitutive model for frictional materials.” Int. J. Numer. Anal. Meth. Geomech., 26(7), 661–681.IJNGDZ
Janbu, N. (1963). “Soil compressibility as determined by oedometer and triaxial tests.” European Conf. on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, Wissbaden, Germany, 1, 19–25.
Juran, I., and Riccobono, O. (1991). “Reinforced soft soils with artificially cemented compacted-sand columns.” J. Geotech. Eng.JGENDZ, 117(7), 1042–1060.
Kempfert, H.-G., and Raithel, M. (2002). “Experiences on dike foundations and landfills on very soft soils.” Int. Symp. on Soft Soils Foundation Engineering, Technical Committee TC 36 Soft Soils Foundation Engineering, Mexico City, 176–181.
Khabbazian, M., Kaliakin, V. N., and Meehan, C. L. (2009). “3D numerical analyses of geosynthetic encased stone columns.” Proc., Int. Foundations Congress and Equipment Expo ’09 (IFCEE09), Contemporary Topics in Ground Modification, Problem Soils, and Geo-Support, Geotechnical Special Publication No. 187, ASCE, Reston, VA, 201–208.
Khabbazian, M., Kaliakin, V. N., and Meehan, C. L. (2010a). “Numerical study of the effect of geosynthetic encasement on the behaviour of granular columns.” Geosynth. Int.GINTFD, 17(3), 132–143.
Khabbazian, M., Meehan, C. L., and Kaliakin, V. N. (2010b). “Numerical study of effect of encasement on stone column performance.” Proc., GeoFlorida 2010: Advances in Analysis, Modeling and Design, Geotechnical Special Publication No. 199, ASCE, Reston, VA, 184–193.
Kim, M. K., and Lade, P. V. (1988). “Single hardening constitutive model for frictional materials I. Plastic potential function.” Comput. Geotech., 5(4), 307–324.CGEOEU
Konder, R. L. (1963). “Hyperbolic stress-strain response: Cohesive soils.” J. Soil Mech. Found. Div.JSFEAQ, 89(1), 115–144.
Kulhawy, F. H., and Duncan, J. M. (1972). “Stresses and movements in Oroville dam.” J. Soil Mech. Found. Div.JSFEAQ, 98(7), 653–665.
Lade, P. V. (1977). “Elasto-plastic stress-strain theory for cohesionless soil with curved yield surfaces.” Int. J. Solids Struct., 13(11), 1019–1035.IJSOAD
Lade, P. V. (2005). “Single hardening model for soils: Parameter determination and typical values.” Soils constitutive models. Evaluation, selection, and calibration, ASCE geotechnical special technical publication 128, Yamamuro, J. A. and Kaliakin, V. N., eds., ASCE, New York, 290–309.
Lade, P. V., and Kim, M. K. (1988a). “Single hardening constitutive model for frictional materials II. Yield criterion and plastic work contours.” Comput. Geotech., 6(1), 13–29.CGEOEU
Lade, P. V., and Kim, M. K. (1988b). “Single hardening constitutive model for frictional materials III. Comparisons with experimental data.” Comput. Geotech., 6(1), 31–47.CGEOEU
Lade, P. V., and Nelson, R. B. (1987). “Modelling the elastic behaviour of granular materials.” Int. J. Numer. Anal. Meth. Geomech., 11(5), 521–542.IJNGDZ
Lee, J. S., and Pande, G. N. (1998). “Analysis of stone-column reinforced foundations.” Int. J. Numer. Anal. Meth. Geomech.IJNGDZ, 22, 1001–1020.
Lee, K. L., and Seed, H. B. (1967). “Drained strength characteristics of sands.” J. Soil Mech. Found. Div.JSFEAQ, 93(6), 117–141.
Madhav, M. R., and Miura, N. (1994). “Soil improvement panel report on stone columns.” Proc., 13th Int. Conf. on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, Vol. 5, A. A. Balkema, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 163–164.
Malarvizhi, S. N., and Ilamparuthi, K. (2007). “Performance of stone column encased with geogrids.” Proc., 4th Int. Conf. on Soft Soil Engineering, Taylor & Francis, New York, 309–314.
Mitchell, J. K., and Huber, T. R. (1985). “Performance of a stone column foundation.” J. Geotech. Eng.JGENDZ, 111(2), 205–223.
Murugesan, S., and Rajagopal, K. (2006). “Geosynthetic-encased stone columns: Numerical evaluation.” Geotext. Geomembr., 24(6), 349–358.
Murugesan, S., and Rajagopal, K. (2007). “Model tests on geosynthetic-encased stone columns.” Geosynth. Int.GINTFD, 14(6), 346–354.
Park, S., Yoo, C., and Lee, D. (2007). “A study on the geogrid reinforced stone column system for settlement reduction effect.” Proc., 17th Int. Offshore and Polar Engineering Conf., International Society of Offshore and Polar Engineers (ISOPE), Cupertino, CA, 1636–1641.
Paul, A., and Ponomarjow, A. (2004). “The bearing behavior of geogrid reinforced crushed stone columns in comparison to non-reinforced concrete pile foundations.” Proc., Third European Geosynthetics Conf., Geotechnical Engineering with Geosynthetics, EuroGeo3, Munich, Germany, 285–288.
Raithel, M., Kirchner, A., Schade, C., and Leusink, E. (2005). “Foundation of construction on very soft soils with geotextile encased columns—State of the art.” Proc., GeoFrontiers 2005, ASCE, Reston, VA (CD-ROM).
Roscoe, K. H., and Burland, J. B. (1968). “On the generalised stress-strain behaviour of wet clay.” Engineering plasticity, Heyman, J. and Leckie, F. A., eds., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 535–609.
Schanz, T., Vermeer, P. A., and Bonnier, P. G. (1999). “The hardening soil model: Formulation and verification.” Proc., Beyond 2000 in Computational Geotechnics—10 Years of PLAXIS International, Brinkgreve, R. B. J. and Balkema, A. A., eds., Rotterdam, Netherlands, 55–58.
Schweiger, H. F., and Pande, G. N. (1986). “Numerical analysis of stone column supported foundations.” Comput. Geotech., 2(6), 347–372.CGEOEU
Van Impe, W. F. (1989). Soil improvement techniques and their evolution, Balkema, Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Van Impe, W. F., and Silence, P. (1986). “Improving of the bearing capacity of weak hydraulic fills by means of geotextiles.” Proc., 3rd Int. Conf. on Geotextiles, Industrial Fabrics Association International, Roseville, MN, 1411–1416.
Vermeer, P. A., and Neher, H. P. (1999). “A soft soil model that accounts for creep.” Proc., Beyond 2000 in Computational Geotechnics—10 Years of PLAXIS International, Brinkgreve, R. B. J., ed., Balkema, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 249–261.
Yoo, C., and Kim, S. B. (2009). “Numerical modeling of geosynthetic-encased stone column reinforced ground.” Geosynth. Int.GINTFD, 16(3), 116–126.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 12 • Issue 4 • August 2012
Pages: 357 - 369
Copyright
© 2012. American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 6, 2010
Accepted: Aug 21, 2010
Published online: Aug 27, 2010
Published in print: Aug 1, 2012
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.