Attempt of Simple Calculation on Studying Failure Mechanism of DM Columns

Abstract

A simple calculation, based on limit equilibrium method, was performed to evaluate the failure pattern of deep mixing (DM) columns, used to reinforce an embankment slope. The failure modes of the columns are important in the application of DM columns, according to Japanese and the US guidelines. By using laboratory tests and numerical analysis, a certain failure mode took place with certain ground conditions, while an overall view with various modes cannot be observed. In this study, a trial of limit equilibrium method to access the failure mode of the columns is focused with an overall mechanism. As a result, while the calculation can simply predict the failure pattern of the DM columns, a parametric study was also performed to evaluate the effect of several improvement factors. Because the calculation was simplified with several assumptions, the further application of the method needs to be validated and evaluated by further studies.