International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET)
e-ISSN: 2395-0056
Volume: 12 Issue: 10 | Oct 2025
p-ISSN: 2395-0072
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NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF STONE COLUMN IMPROVED SOFT SOILS USING PLAXIS 3D K. Prakhyaati1 and Dr. K. Ramu2 1 Master in Technology, Department of Civil Engineering, University College of Engineering(A), JNTUK, Kakinada,
Andhra Pradesh, India
2 Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, University College of Engineering(A), JNTUK, Kakinada, Andhra
Pradesh, India ---------------------------------------------------------------------***---------------------------------------------------------------------
Abstract - A common ground improvement method for
dissipating excess pore water pressure, it promotes radial drainage and speeds up post-construction settlements. Stone columns are built using the Vibro-Replacement technique. This technique increases the soil's overall stiffness by incorporating a stiffer substance (stone) into the soil.
supporting heavy loads over soft soils is the use of stone columns. In order to improve drainage, decrease settlement, and increase the soil's load-bearing capacity, they include forming vertical columns of compacted stone or gravel. The performance of stone columns on soft soils is examined in this research. To evaluate the accuracy of the software’s performance, both experimental and numerical analyses were carried out. For experimental analysis, a small-scale laboratory model was used, and numerical analysis verification was done for the same model using PLAXIS 3D, a finite element program. In the computational study, stone columns with diameters of 1.0, 1.25, and 1.5 meters and lengths of 10, 20, and 30 meters were modelled, and a spacing of 3m was considered between the columns.
It can be done by 1. Dry Bottom-Feed method 2. Wet Top-Feed method
2. OBJECTIVES 1) To model and analyse the behaviour of soft soil, reinforced with stone columns, using PLAXIS 3D.
Key Words: PLAXIS 3D, Stone columns, Ground improvement, soft soil, Bearing Capacity.
2) To study the effect of varying stone column diameters (1.0m, 1.25m & 1.5m) on the bearing capacity of soft soils.
1. INTRODUCTION
3) To evaluate the influence of stone column length (10m, 20m & 30m) on load-bearing performance under constant spacing conditions.
High compressibility and low shear strength are characteristics of soft soils, which are commonly defined as silty-clays, clayey silts, and peats. These soils are frequently found in places with a lot of water, such as floodplains and coastal regions. Soft soils have characteristics that make them difficult to work with during construction and necessitate special ground preparation. In order to make soft soils suitable for construction, a variety of procedures are used to increase their carrying capacity, decrease settlement, and improve overall stability. These methods include vertical drains, preloading, stone columns, deep soil mixing, dynamic compaction, geosynthetics, and more. The type of soil, the soft layer's depth, and the project's needs all influence the precise technique that is used.
4) To verify the performance of the software by comparing the results of a laboratory experimental model with a similar numerical model in the PLAXIS 3D software.
3. REVIEW OF LITERATURE [1] Abdelsatar et.al. (2024) had done their study on the effect of granular piles on the behaviour of weak soils using PLAXIS 3D. In this study, stone columns with an average depth of 10m, a diameter of 1 m, and a spacing of 2m with sand blankets of thickness 0.75m and 1.2m are considered. The study revealed that there was an increase in the bearing capacity of the improved soil by approximately 89% to 95% when compared to natural soil and a significant decrease in soil settlement when using granular piles [2].
1.1 Stone column Stone columns are a method of ground improvement used to increase the load-bearing capacity of weak soils and reduce excessive settlements. It is made up of differentsized crushed coarse particles. Typically, 15–35% of the soil volume is replaced with stone while building stone columns. By functioning as vertical drains and quickly
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[2] Bahi Selma and Houhou Mohamed Nabil (2024) had done their study on advanced 3D modeling of geosynthetic-encased stone columns in soft clay beneath embankment using PLAXIS 3D software. The study revealed that the increase in the friction angle of the stone
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