Strip footing on weak clay stabilized with a granular trench or pile

Abstract

There are many field situations where at least a moderate increase in the bearing capacity in weak clays is desired. One of the solutions for such situations is stabilization by installing a granular pile or stone column using empirical designs. The plane strain version of a granular pile is a granular trench. In the present investigation a failure mechanism is postulated for the granular trench and analytical expressions are derived for the ultimate bearing capacity of footings on such stabilized soils. Bearing capacity factors are presented for various combinations of the parameters considered. From the present study it has been reaffirmed that a granular trench significantly reinforces weak clay deposits.