Pull-out Bearing Capacity of Anchor Cables in Stone Columns: Field Experimental and Numerical Investigations

To diversify the testing of the stone column bearing capacity, this study evaluates the pull-out bearing capacity of stone columns to provide the necessary reaction forces for static load tests. Considering the construction process of stone columns, an anchor cable is embedded in the columns to provide pull-out resistance. The PFC2D discrete element simulation software is used to simulate the pull-out process at different anchor cable depths to obtain the distribution of the ultimate pull-out bearing capacity. The numerical simulation results reveal that when the burial depth of the anchor cable is shallow, the pull-out bearing capacity is linearly related to the burial depth. When the burial depth exceeds 12.0 m, the bearing capacity increases sharply. The error between the onsite anchor cable pull-out test data and the numerical simulation results is less than 10%, demonstrating the accuracy of the numerical simulation presented in this paper. The results are used to propose a formula for the calculation of pull-out bearing capacity. It is found that the embedded anchor cable in the stone column can provide the required reaction forces, demonstrating the feasibility of conducting static load tests using the reaction force on stone columns.