Contribution to the Study of Soil Stabilized by Ballast Columns

Abstract

Abstract Ballasted columns are an interesting technique for improving compressible soils in situ. Their major advantages are to reduce compaction, increase the bearing capacity of soils, accelerate consolidation, and eliminate the risks of liquefaction during earthquakes. Thanks to these advantages, reinforcement processes are considerably developed in the field of geotechnical construction and this is on an international scale. Numerical modelling is a necessary and effective alternative for approaching the real behavior of soils reinforced by ballasted columns. The present work aims to change several parameters, being, among others, the number of columns, the rise of the water table, and the friction angle. With this in mind, a parametric study was carried out in order to determine the influence of certain parameters on the settlement results and observe their influence on the mechanical behavior of the soil using the Plaxis 2D calculation code. This study found that the correct choice was based on the number of columns, which is three, while the increase in groundwater level does not have a significant influence on the results.