STUDY ON DESIGN ASPECTS OF STONE COLUMNS

ABSTRACT
Stone columns are extensively used to improve the ground performance for achieving
targeted bearing capacity; to accelerate the consolidation process; to reduce the settlements of
the structures built; and to enhance liquefaction mitigation capacity of ground. Stone column
type ground improvement is ideally suited for structures such as liquid storage tanks,
embankments, abutments, water or waste treatment plants, stack yards etc. Provision of
granular piles in soft ground or loose granular deposits, leads to significant improvement in
the overall response of the ground because of reinforcement, densification effects and
increased rates of dissipation of excess pore pressures generated either during static or
seismic loading. Amongst the various ground treatment alternatives, granular piles or stone
columns are the most preferred choice in many instances because of the ease of construction,
proven applicability and utilization of low cost natural materials. Design of stone columns
involves determining various parameters: the diameter of the granular pile, spacing between
the granular piles, pattern of the piles installation, information about the length of the pile
(termination depth) and gradation details of the granular material etc.
In this paper, design methodologies and specific design recommendations for stone columns
will be presented. A short discussion on various functions of stone columns and methods of
installation are presented followed by different design methodologies available in the
literature for predicting the ultimate capacity, settlement, and stability of ground improved
using stone columns. A couple of case studies are selected to demonstrating the design of
stone columns for normal loading conditions, seismic conditions with and without
liquefaction resistance requirement.
INTRODUCTION
Soils with appreciable silt or clay content do not respond to deep vibratory compaction. The
deposits consist of soft soils with low shear resistance, high compressibility, sometimes high
sensitivity and low permeability. Consequently, the structures founded on these deposits have
low bearing capacity, suffer high settlements, long consolidation times and effected by
liquefaction in case of loose granular deposits subjected to earthquake loads. To improve
these cohesive soil types to allow building and other heavy construction, it is necessary to
create stiff reinforcing elements in the soil mass. Amongst the various alternatives, granular
piles or stone columns are the most preferred choice in many instances because of the ease of
the construction, proven applicability and utilisation of low cost natural materials. The stone
column technique, also known as vibro-replacement or vibro-displacement, is a ground
improvement process where vertical columns of compacted aggregate are formed through
the soils to be improved. These columns result in considerable vertical load carrying capacity
and improved shear resistance in the soil mass. Out of the deep vibratory compaction
techniques vibro-replacement covers the widest range with regard to the application in
different soils. Since vibro compaction is restricted to compactable sand and gravel, the
application of vibro replacement extends principally over the total range in grain size of loose
soils. Even in most of the noncohesive natural soils suitable for vibro compaction, backfilling
with coarse grained material is recommended to increase the compaction efforts- and this
means stone column installation.
MATERIALS USED FOR STONE COLUMN CONSTRUCTION (Isaac and Girish
2009)
The type and grain size of stone column material is one of the controlling parameters in the
design of stone column. Spacing of the column also plays an important role in the
performance of stone columns. Five materials i.e. stones, gravel, river sand, sea sand and
quarry dust, which are stiffer and stronger than the ambient soil were used as column
material.
On the basis of various test conducted by Ambily and Gandhi (2007) & study of load versus
settlement response of the stone column and reinforced stone column i.e. geogrid-encased
stone column in the laboratory by Malarvizhi and Ilamparuthi (2008) for the Suitability of
Different Materials for Stone Column Construction following observations are made:
a. Inclusion of stone columns considerably improves the load deformation
characteristics of Kuttanad clay.
b. Among the different stone column materials used, stones are found to be more
effective from single column test and group column test.
c. Quarry dust, though a waste product is effective in improving the load deformation
characteristics of the soil used and its performance is comparable with that of sand.
Hence quarry dust can be economically and effectively used for stone column
construction as it is cheap and easily available.
d. River sand is more effective than sea sand.
e. Gravel is more effective than sand in general, though river sand behaves similar to
gravel in some cases.
f. Spacing of the column play an important role in affecting the load deformation
characteristics. Effectiveness increases as spacing decreases.
g. Stress-settlement response is predicted by the finite element method and found
matching with experimental.


FAILURE MECHANISMS OF STONE COLUMNS (Hughes & Withers 1974)

Stone columns may be constructed as either end bearing on a firm stratum underlying
soft soil, or as floating columns with the tip of the column embedded within the soft
layer. For the economically utilization of stone columns to the fullest extent, theories
must be available for considering settlement, belring capacity and general stability for
problems involving both single stone columns and stone column groups.
Single Stone Columns

I. Either end bearing or free floating stone columns greater than about three
diameters in length fail in bulging.
II. A very short column bearing on a firm support will undergo either a general or
local bearing capacity type failure at the surface.
III. A floating stone column less than about 2 to 3 diameters in length may fail in
end bearing in the weak underlying layer before a bulging failure can develop.



Stone Column Groups

An isolated single column compared to a stone column group has a slightly smaller
ultimate load capacity per column than in the group. As surrounding columns are
added to form a group, the interior columns are confined and hence somewhat
stiffened by the surrounding columns. This results in a slight increase in the ultimate
load capacity per column.

I. A group of stone columns in a soft soil probably undergoes a combined
bulging and local bearing type failure.
II. A local bearing failure is the punching of a relatively rigid stone column (or
group) into the surrounding soft soil.
III. Stone column groups having short column lengths can fail in end bearing or
perhaps undergo a bearing capacity failure of individual stone columns similar
to the failure mode of short, single stone columns.