Numerical Investigation of Behaviour of Geosynthetic Encased Stone Column in Soft Clay Bed

Due to the absence of suitable lateral support, soft soil treated by ordinary stone column (OSC) settles excessively under the vertical pressures as compared to the native soil in the area. To address this problem, encasement of the stone columns is done by a geosynthetic material with higher axial stiffness, which impart the supplementary confinement required. The influence of geosynthetic encasement on the load–settlement behavior of geosynthetic encased stone columns (GESC) under the vertical pressures is investigated using a numerical model. PLAXIS3D was used to create three-dimensional (3D) models to model the characteristics of loose soils treated with stone columns. Various parameters were changed to see how they affected load–settling behaviour while only one column was loaded. Also, the results were validated with experimental results of few literatures.