| Abstract: | In this paper the settlement of a rigid foundation supported by a layer of clay which has been stabilized with stone columns is considered. The results of an analytic solution for the settlement, assuming no yield occurs in the clay or columns, have been presented in a previous publication. This solution is now used to develop an interaction analysis which takes account of yielding within the stone columns. This interaction analysis is based on a number of plausible assumptions regarding the behaviour of the clay and columns. In order to check the validity of these assumptions elasto-plastic finite element analyses have been performed and the agreement between the two methods is very good. However, the computational effort required for the finite element analyses is many orders of magnitude greater than that for the interaction analysis. This analysis has been used to generate a number of parametric solutions which provide a basis for estimating the reduction in settlement of the foundation due to the stabilization of the clay. |
