Analysis of Geocell-Reinforced Stone Column-Supported Embankment Considering Soil-Structure Interaction

Geocells are a superior form of reinforcement due to their cost-effectiveness and three-dimensional confining properties. The effect of the basal geocell layer on the performance of the stone column-supported embankment was evaluated in this paper by carrying out time-dependent coupled analyses considering the geocell-infill soil interactions. The various parameters, such as arching, stress concentration ratio, surface settlement, column bulging characteristics, and the influence of various types of infill materials and drainage blanket thickness on column-supported embankment behavior, were analyzed. The load transfer mechanism was quantified using the term stress concentration ratio, and with the use of geocell mattress above stone columns, the stress concentration ratio increased by 1.5 times that of ordinary stone columns. Also, it was observed that compared to ordinary stone column-supported embankment, the combination of stone columns with geocell-sand mattress resulted in a further reduction of the foundation settlement by 15%. Analysis results showed that the arching behavior is not predominant in geocell-reinforced columnar structures. The various analytical methods like Guido et al. (1987), Low et al. (1994), and Abusharar et al. (2009), which were developed for geosynthetic reinforced columnar embankments, were found to significantly under-predict the stress reduction ratio values with geocells.