Improvement of Bearing Capacity of Soft Soil by Using Micropile
摘要
Due to its versatile and flexible nature, the use of micropile became a widely accepted soil improvement method, especially in soft or weak soil. It resists static as well as dynamic loading, and it works as an in situ stabilizing device, particularly on slopes. In the present study, the response of micropiles in soft soil under static loading was observed using PLAXIS 3D software considering the complex interaction between soil and the micropiles. From the results of the analyses, the load–settlement graphs were plotted, and bearing capacity values were determined for single and group micropiles. The parametric investigation was also conducted by varying the parameters such as length (l) of the micropile, number (n) of the micropile, and spacing (s) between the micropiles while the diameter (d) of the micropile is kept constant as 50 mm throughout the study. From the results, it was observed that the bearing capacity of the micropiles increased with the increase in length, number, and spacing of micropiles. The optimum values of the parameters were also determined to make the use of the micropile cost-effective in the case of low- to medium-rise buildings.