Finite Element Modeling of a Stone Layer Under a Strip Footing to Estimate Soil Behavior and Determine Optimal Stone Layer Width and Depth

Abstract

Different methods can be applied to improve soil behavior to increase the bearing capacity or reduce the settlement of footings. These methods can be stabilization or improvement of soil by the use of different geosynthetics; injection; grouting; or placing weak soil with stronger materials. One of the materials that can be used for improving soil is placing a stone layer under the footing. In this study, a stone layer under a strip footing is simulated with the finite element method (FEM) to estimate the soil behavior at different conditions. A stip footing with a width of 1m and a length of 8m with a 100 kN/m2 uniform load was modelled. The different widths of stone layer from 1B to 3B (B was the strip footing width) with different depths of 0.5B, 1B, 1.5B, and 2B were modelled in Plaxis 3D and results were obtained from the simulation. By considering the results, it was found that the optimum dimension of the stone layer for putting under strip footing was 2B width and 1B depth. This result can be applied to real projects.