Stone column reinforcement of a soft South African clay: A laboratory investigation

Abstract

The current rate of development in the construction industry has given rise to higher demands for land. In pursuit of satisfying the needs of property developers, engineers have resorted to new ground improvement technologies to eventually implement construction on lands which were previously regarded as unfeasible or uneconomical for this purpose. This study therefore aimed at investigating the potential use of singular stone columns in improving a soft wet clay of South African origin. Bench scale tests were conducted to evaluate the effect of the moisture content of the base soil and the column diameter. The results indicated a clear improvement in the vertical applied stress as well as in the settlement of the clay, when subjected to a compressive load. These findings were ultimately used to generate information regarding the stress concentration ratio and the settlement reduction ratio.