Parametric Studies on Cemented Stone Column Using Demolition Waste Materials

With rapid urbanization and industrialization in the recent times, the available useful land is diminishing for development of the commercial, industrial and transportation purposes particularly in the urban areas. This necessitates the use of land having weak strata particularly soft soil deposits. To minimize the construction problems associated with these soils, ground improvement is done quite frequently on the sites. Among the numerous ground techniques adopted to improve properties of the weak soils; use of stone column is one such approach used widely for several applications in the fields. The concept of stone column installation involves replacement of 10–35% of weak soil with another gravelly material to form a stiffer composite mass of granular cylinder. In the present study, an exhaustive laboratory testing work was undertaken to study the improved strength properties of soft clay soils collected from Nagpur City, Maharashtra State, India on insertion of stone column. Stone columns are placed single and in group with triangular arrangement. Demolition waste material is attempted as a replacement to the natural aggregate with marginally small doses of cement for stone column preparation. Further the effects of varying length (L) to diameter (D) ratios (i.e., L/D ratio) of stone columns on the strength properties were analyzed. The study shows an overall improvement in the load carrying capacity of clay beds on insertion of stone columns. Laboratory testing program confirms the possible use of demolition waste for stone column construction as the strength improvement is nearly 60–75% of the natural aggregate stone column.