3D FE Analysis on Settlement of Footing Supported with Rammed Aggregate Pier Group
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 18, Issue 8
Abstract
The uncertainties involved in the current design of footings supported by rammed aggregate piers (RAPs) have brought about the need to analyze the complete foundation system accurately using the three-dimensional finite-element (3D FE) method and define the settlement improvements used in the footing design. The postconstruction stage of RAPs is considered in the 3D FE modeling by accounting for the unique installation effect of RAPs, the geometrical variation with depth, and the nonlinear behavior of both aggregates and the surrounding soil matrix. An image-processing technique allowing 3D FE modeling of such a complex foundation system was used, and the initial numerical models were validated through back-analysis of the well-known experimental results reported in the literature for a trial RAP. In a parametric study, extension of the numerical analysis to the complete foundation system of a footing supported with a RAP group of reinforced clay was accomplished by considering the mutual interaction between the foundation elements. The effects of such factors as loads, material properties, footing dimensions, RAP spacing, and lengths on the settlement improvements were investigated by considering numerous design configurations and soil conditions. Multiple nonlinear regression was used to develop a settlement model based on the results from the presented 3D FE analysis. This article provides new practical insights into the 3D postconstruction FE modeling of RAPs considering the installation effects. It also demonstrates that the proposed statistical model within the considered limiting values of variables is desirably accurate for predicting the settlement improvements of the footings supported with the end-bearing RAP groups.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
Abaqus 6.12 [Computer software]. SIMULIA, Providence, RI.
Algin, H. M. (2016). “Optimised design of jet-grouted raft using response surface method.” Comput. Geotech., 74, 56–73.
Balaam, N. P., and Booker, J. R. (1985). “Effect of stone column yield on settlement of rigid foundations in stabilized clay.” Int. J. Numer. Anal. Methods Geomech., 9(4), 331–351.
Barksdale, R. D., and Bachus, R. C. (1983). “Design and construction of stone columns.” Rep. No. FHWA/RD-83/027, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, DC.
Barksdale, R. D., and Takefumi, T. (1991). “Design, construction and testing of sand compaction piles.” STP1089: Deep foundation improvements: Design, construction, and testing, M. I. Esrig and R. C. Bachus, eds., ASTM, West Conshohocken, PA, 4–18.
Bhowmik, R., and Samanta, M. (2013). “Numerical analysis of piled-raft foundation under vertical load in stone column improved soil.” Proc., Indian Geotechnical Conf., Indian Geotechnical Society, New Delhi, India, 22–24.
Bohn, C. (2015). “Serviceability and safety in the design of rigid inclusions and combined pile-raft foundations.” Ph.D. thesis, Université Paris-Est, Paris.
Box, G. E. P., and Cox, D. R. (1982). “An analysis of transformations revisited, rebutted.” J. Am. Stat. Assoc., 77(377), 209–210.
Chen, J.-F., Han, J., Oztoprak, S., and Yang, X.-M. (2009). “Behavior of single rammed aggregate piers considering installation effects.” Comput. Geotech., 36(7), 1191–1199.
Davis, E. H., and Taylor, H. (1962). The movement of bridge approaches and abutments on soft foundation soils, Civil Engineering Laboratories, Univ. of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Fox, N. S., and Cowell, M. J. (1998). Geopier foundation and soil reinforcement manual, Geopier Foundation Company, Davidson, NC.
Frank, R. (1999). Calcul des fondations superficielles et profondes [Complements with lecture notes including update according to Eurocode 7 (2013, 2014)], Presses des Ponts, Paris.
Greenwood, D. A. (1970). “Mechanical improvement of soils below ground surface.” Ground engineering, Institution of Civil Engineers, London.
Halabian, A. M., and Shamsabadi, P. J. (2015). “Numerical modeling of the RAP construction process and its effects on RAP behavior.” Int. J. Geomech., 04014085.
Halabian, A. M., Naeemifar, I., and Hashemolhosseini, S. H. (2012). “Numerical analysis of vertically loaded rammed aggregate piers and pier groups under dynamic loading.” Soil Dyn. Earthquake Eng., 38, 58–71.
Handy, R. L., and White, D. J. (2006a). “Stress zones near displacement piers: I. Plastic and liquefied behavior.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron., 04014085.
Handy, R. L., and White, D. J. (2006b). “Stress zones near displacement piers: II. Radial cracking and wedging.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron., 63–71.
Jaky, J. (1944). “The coefficient of earth pressure at rest.” J. Soc. Hungarian Archit. Eng., 78(22), 355–358.
Kirsch, K., and Kirsch, F. (2010). Ground improvement by deep vibratory methods, CRC, Boca Raton, FL.
Kuruoglu, Ö. (2008). “A new approach to estimate settlements under footings on rammed aggregate pier groups.” Ph.D. thesis, Middle East Technical Univ., Ankara, Turkey.
Kuruoglu, Ö., Horoz, A., and Erol, O. (2013). “Settlements under footings on rammed aggregate piers.” Proc.,18th Int. Conf. on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, French Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Paris, 3455–3458.
Lawton, E. C., and Fox, N. S. (1994). “Settlement of structures supported on marginal or inadequate soils stiffened with short aggregate piers.” Vertical and horizontal deformations of foundations and embankments, Geotechnical special publication 40, A. T. Yeung and G. Y. Félio, eds., ASCE, Reston, VA, 962–974.
Lawton, E. C., and Warner, B. J. (2004). “Performance of a group of Geopier elements loaded in compression compared to single Geopier elements and unreinforced soil.” Rep. No. UUCVEEN 04–12, Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City.
Lawton, E. C., Fox, N. S., and Handy, R. L. (1994). “Control of settlement and uplift of structures using short aggregate piers.” In-situ deep soil improvement, Geotechnical special publication 45, K. M. Rollins, ed., ASCE, Reston, VA, 121–132.
Pham, H. T. V. (2005). “Support mechanism for rammed aggregate pier.” Ph.D. thesis, Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA.
Pham, H. T. V., and White, D. J. (2007). “Support mechanisms of rammed aggregate piers. II: Numerical analyses.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron., 1512–1521.
Priebe, H. J. (1976). “Abschatzung des Setzungsverhaltens eins durch Stopfuerdichtung verbessertan Baugrundes.” Die Bautechnik, 53(5), 160–162.
Priebe, H. J. (1995). “The design of vibro replacement.” Ground Eng., 28(12), 31–37.
Reul, O., and Randolph, M. F. (2004). “Design strategies for piled rafts subjected to nonuniform vertical loading.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron., 1–13.
Rudolf, M. (2005). “Beanspruchung und verformung von gründungskonstruktionen auf pfahlrosten und pfahlgruppen unter berücksichtigung des teilsicherheitskonzeptes.” Schriftenreihe geotechnik, Kassel Univ., Kassel, Germany.
Sakia, R. M. (1992). “The Box–Cox transformation technique—A review.” J. R. Statist. Soc., 41(2), 169–178.
Shahu, J. T., and Reddy, Y. R. (2011). “Clayey soil reinforced with stone column group: model tests and analyses.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 1265–1274.
Stuedlein, A. W., and Holtz, R. D. (2012). “Analysis of footing load tests on aggregate pier reinforced clay.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 1091–1103.
Suleiman, M. T., and White, D. J. (2006). “Load transfer in rammed aggregate piers.” Int. J. Geomech., 389–398.
Viggiani, C., Mandolini, A., and Russo, G. (2011). Piles and pile foundations, CRC, Boca Raton, FL.
White, D. J., Gaul, A. J., and Hoevelkamp, K. (2003). “Highway applications for rammed aggregate pier in Iowa soils.” Rep. No. TR–443, Iowa Dept. of Transportation, Ames, Iowa.
White, D. J., Pham, H. T. V., and Hoevelkamp, K. K. (2007). “Support mechanisms of rammed aggregate piers. I: Experimental results.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 1503–1511.
White, D. J., Pham, H. T. V., and Wissmann, K. J. (2006). “Numerical simulation of construction-induced stresses around rammed aggregate piers.” Proc., Numerical Modelling of Construction Processes in Geotechnical Engineering for Urban Environment, Taylor & Francis, Abingdon, UK, 257–264.
Wissmann, K. J., Moser, K., and Pando, M. (2001). “Reducing settlement risks in residual piedmont soil using rammed aggregate pier elements.” Foundations and ground improvement, Geotechnical special publication 113, T. L. Brandon, ed., ASCE, Reston, VA, 943–957.
Wissmann, K. J., White, D. J., and Lawton, E. (2007). “Load test comparisons for rammed aggregate piers and pier groups.” Geo-Denver 2007 Congress, Geotechnical special publication 172, H. W. Olsen, ed., ASCE, Reston, VA, 1–11.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
© 2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Sep 11, 2016
Accepted: Jan 25, 2018
Published online: Jun 11, 2018
Published in print: Aug 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Nov 11, 2018
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.