EFFICIENCY OF GEOGRID ENCASEMENT UNDER COST CONSIDERATION ON PERFORMANCE OF STONE COLUMNS

The performance of ordinary stone columns (OSCs) is known to be limited by lateral bulging deformation under axial compression loading. To address this issue, one innovation method is to vertically encase the column with geosynthetic materials, which can effectively mitigate lateral bulging and enhances the ultimate bearing capacity. However, previous research has not yet properly explored the performance of encased stone columns (ESCs) with controlled geogrid costs. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the performance of ESCs in terms of ultimate bearing capacity, lateral displacement, and failure patterns under axial compression loading using the three-dimensional (3D) finite element method with PLAXIS 3D software. The validation of the numerical model was conducted using field measurement data of column load tests from past studies. Then, the influence of geogrid encasement was investigated through a parametric study. This research not only reaffirms the effectiveness of geogrid encasements but also introduces the concept of encasing the column with optimal tensile stiffness and encasement length to achieve the highest efficiency performance under controlled costs, paving the way for more economical in geotechnical engineering practices