Bearing capacity of floating geosynthetic encased columns (GEC) determined on the basis of CPTU penetration tests

Abstract

Floating geosynthetic encased columns (GEC) are an increasingly popular method of strengthening weak subsoil. Design of floating columns is a difficult and not fully recognized issue. This paper treats the floating GEC column as a special kind of “pile” and its bearing capacity is calculated using five selected methods for calculating the bearing capacity of piles based on CPTU penetration tests. The calculations were done on the basis of insitu tests carried out on one of the sections of the Bargłów Kościelny bypass. The paper contains a comparison of the bearing capacities of floating GEC columns calculated with different methods based on CPTU penetration tests.