Treatment of collapsible soil using encased stone columns

Al-Obaidy, Nesreen (2017). Treatment of collapsible soil using encased stone columns. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

This study examined the load-settlement characteristics and mechanism of failure of a footing-type foundation resting on untreated soil, soil treated with an ordinary stone column (OSC), and soil treated with an encased stone column (ESC) into artificial loess deposits subjected to inundation. The investigation was carried out by means of conventional geotechnical laboratory work and the electrical resistivity tomography method. In addition, an analytical solution using a MATLAB script was presented to determine the load carrying capacity of the reinforced foundation and to validate the experimental results.
Outcomes of the physical model demonstrated the efficiency of using an encased stone column over the ordinary stone column and the untreated collapsible soil. Results of the resistivity tomography system offered a valuable window into the soil-column interface. The soil conductivity was very sensitive to load and moisture variations during collapse. The analytical model illustrated that the enhancement in the ultimate bearing capacity of the reinforced column is influenced in proportion to variations in both the degree of saturation and matric suction. It increases with increasing the tensile strength of the geotextile and the angle of internal shear resistance of the fill material. However, it decreases when the diameter of the column expands.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

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