Using Stone Columns to Mitigate Lateral Deformation in Uniform and Stratified Liquefiable Soil Strata
Publication: International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 19, Issue 5
Abstract
On the basis of a systematic parametric study, three-dimensional (3D) finite-element (FE) simulations were conducted to evaluate mitigation by the stone column (SC) approach. Mildly sloping saturated cohesionless strata (uniform as well as stratified) were investigated under the action of an applied earthquake excitation. For that purpose, the open-source computational platform OpenSees was employed, through a robust user interface that simplifies the effort-intensive pre- and postprocessing phases. Specifically, a number of SC configurations (1 × 1, 2 × 2, and 4 × 4) for a given area replacement ratio (Arr) were explored. In these configurations, the same Arr was maintained by deploying smaller-diameter columns, evenly distributed spatially so as to increasingly reduce the drainage path. As such, it was found that a more evenly distributed SC configuration (e.g., the 2 × 2 configuration compared to the 1 × 1), with a shorter drainage path, is more effective in decreasing the soil lateral displacement. Site stratification was found to have a potentially highly significant influence on the accumulated lateral ground displacement. The involved localized deformation mechanism may have an important influence on the SC response and efficacy. Overall, the conducted study provides insights for defining an economical and effective remediation solution.
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Acknowledgments
The reported research was partially supported by the National Science Foundation Award CMMI-1201195. This support is gratefully acknowledged.
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International Journal of Geomechanics
Volume 19 • Issue 5 • May 2019
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© 2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 20, 2018
Accepted: Oct 25, 2018
Published online: Feb 22, 2019
Published in print: May 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Jul 22, 2019
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