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Embankment Supported by Low Area Replacement Ratio Stone Columns, Monitoring and Numerical Studies

  • Geotechnical Engineering
  • Published:
KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering Aims and scope

Abstract

The focus of this study was to evaluate the behaviour of a test embankment supported on vibro stone columns (VSCs) installed with a low area replacement ratio (7.56%) based on data obtained from field instrumentation complemented by analytical and numerical methods. The test embankment is 5.35 m high and was built on top of a soft soil treated with VSCs arranged in a 10-column × 10-column square grid. Analytical and two-dimensional finite element methods using the axisymmetric unit cell approach were also employed in the study to analyse the instrumentation data. The measured settlement-time curves, for the embankment axis, were compatible with finite element analysis in which the coefficient of permeability was continuously updated with the void ratio. Comparison was also favourable regarding measured and predicted values of settlements and improvement factors. All evidence indicates that VSCs installed with a low area replacement ratio (<10%) were quite effective in reducing the time for settlement stabilization and in providing adequate short-term stability against failure, but less effective in reducing the long-term settlement magnitude.

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Abbreviations

A :

Unit cell area (m2)

A c :

Area of granular column (m2)

ARR:

Area replacement ratio (%)

a v :

Coefficient of compressibility (kPa−1)

c′:

Effective cohesion (kPa)

C c :

Compression index [-]

c h :

Coefficient of horizontal consolidation (m2/day)

C K :

Relationship between permeability and void ratio [-]

C s :

Swelling index [-]

c v :

Coefficient of vertical consolidation (m2/day)

c v(ave):

Average coefficient of vertical consolidation (m2/day)

C α :

Coefficient of secondary compression [-]

d c :

Diameter of granular column (m)

d e :

Equivalent diameter of the unit cell (m)

D 50 :

Diameter in which 50% in mass are smaller than the diameter d50 [-]

E :

Elastic modulus of materials (MPa)

e 0 :

Initial void ratio [-]

FEM/FEA/FE:

Finite elements method/analysis [-]

H emb :

h = Embankment height (m)

h crit :

Critical embankment height (m)

IF:

Improvement factor [-]

K*:

Coefficient of earth pressure of the soft soil adjacent to the VSC [-]

K a :

Active coefficient of earth pressure

k h :

Coefficient of horizontal permeability (m/day)

k v :

Coefficient of vertical permeability (m/day)

k vo :

Initial coefficient of vertical permeability (m/day)

K 0 :

Coefficient of earth pressure at rest [-]

L c :

Column length (m)

n 0 :

Improvement factor [-]

n 1 :

Improvement factor [-]

n 2 :

Improvement factor [-]

OCR:

Over consolidation ratio [-]

S :

Centre-to-centre spacing of granular column (m)

S u :

Undrained shear strength (kPa)

t 95% :

Time for 95% of consolidation (years)

T :

Mobilized tension in the basal reinforcement

VSC:

Vibro stone columns [-]

YP:

Yield stress point [-]

γ′:

Submerged unit weight (kN/m3)

γ :

Unit weight (kN/m3)

γ emb :

Embankment unit weight (kN/m3)

γ w :

Unit weight of water (kN/m3)

∆e :

Variation of the void ratio [-]

∆h :

Settlement of the untreated clay bed (m)

∆h c :

Settlement of the treated clay bed with VSC (m)

\(\sigma _v^\prime \) :

Effective vertical stress (kPa)

v :

Poisson’s ratio [-]

φ’ :

Effective friction angle (°)

ψ :

Dilatancy angle (°)

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Acknowledgments

The present study was financed in part by the Brazilian governing agencies CAPES and CNPq and by the State Agencies FAPERJ (Rio de Janeiro) and FAPEMIG (Minas Gerais). The authors would like to thank the Rio de Janeiro State Environmental Sanitation Program of the Guanabara Bay (PSAM) for its support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Engineering (PEC), Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF), Juiz de Fora, 36036-900, Brazil

    Mario V. Riccio F. & Luiz F. Nicodemos R.

  2. Graduate School of Engineering (COPPE), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, 21941-972, Brazil

    Marcio S. S. Almeida, Silvana M. Vasconcelos & Liliana G. S. Pires

  3. BVP Geotecnia e Hidrotecnia, Belo Horizonte, 30494-275, Brazil

    Liliana G. S. Pires

Authors
  1. Mario V. Riccio F.
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  2. Marcio S. S. Almeida
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  3. Silvana M. Vasconcelos
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  5. Luiz F. Nicodemos R.
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Correspondence to Silvana M. Vasconcelos.

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Riccio F., M.V., Almeida, M.S.S., Vasconcelos, S.M. et al. Embankment Supported by Low Area Replacement Ratio Stone Columns, Monitoring and Numerical Studies. KSCE J Civ Eng 26, 619–629 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-021-0540-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12205-021-0540-9

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