Modified Formula for Settlement of Reinforced Ground with Floating Soil-Cement Columns

Low improvement ratio soil-cement columns adopted in ground improvement are cost-effective with less environmental impact. However, the settlement mechanism of the reinforced area has not been clearly established, and the traditional settlement estimation formula only treats the reinforced area as an elastic block. Settlement of the reinforced area for a soft foundation with low improvement ratio soil-cement columns was investigated by conducting a series of 1-g model tests. By reconsidering the effect of column length, the traditional formula was modified by adopting a stiffness ratio with the function of capturing the effect of skin friction between the column and surrounding soils.

Automated summary

This study investigates the settlement of the reinforced area for soft foundations with low improvement ratio soil-cement columns through model tests, and modifies the traditional formula to better account for the effects of column length and skin friction between the column and surrounding soils.