Mat foundations are most typically used in locations featuring weak soils such as soft clays and silts, particularly when building in demanding geotechnical conditions. Because of their poor engineering characteristics and significant difficulties associated with workability, these soils are often removed or avoided by excavating down to a specific depth. However, if thick layers are present, their removal becomes unpractical, costly, and creates inconvenience during construction. To overcome this issue, various reinforcement strategies can be adopted. In this study, the use of stone columns under mat foundations was investigated via numerical modeling. Two scenarios were compared: one in which stone columns were installed without any soil removal and another in which a layer of soft ground was removed and the foundation was installed without any ground treatment. Numerical results showed the clear beneficial effect of stone columns, which can significantly reduce settlements even in the presence of a thick deformable soil layer.
The undrained shear strength (Su) and cohesion (Cu) of cohesive soils are frequently determined using an unconfined compression test. However, the test results are heavily dependent on specimen size. This causes uncertainty in geotechnical analyses, constitutive models, and designs by overestimating or underestimating the shear strength of cohesive soils. Therefore, the study aims to assess the effect of the height-to-diameter ratio on the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of cohesive soil. The soil specimen was tested on a compacted cylindrical specimen at the maximum dry density and optimum moisture content with a height to diameter (H/D) ratio of 1–3 for 38, 50, and 100 mm specimen diameters. Disturbed sample specimens were considered for the laboratory program. Accordingly, the standard Proctor compaction test determines soil classification and compaction characteristics. The unconfined compression test was performed for undisturbed and compacted remolded states of various diameters of cohesive soil specimens to investigate the strength variation with the specimen variation in H/D ratio. The laboratory test results revealed that cohesive soil's unconfined compression strength value drops rapidly with height-to-diameter ratios and the soil specimens’ diameter increases. However, the UCS value was stable at H/D ratio from 1.75 to 2.25. As the specimens’ diameter and H/D ratio increased, the peak UCS value axial strain decreased. Similarly, the gap between the axial strains of peak UCS value for the smallest and the most significant H/D ratio decreased with increase in the specimens’ diameter.
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