Numerical analyses of composite ground improved by fully and partly penetrated sand compaction piles

In design of the sand compaction pile (SCP) method, an improved ground is assumed to have the same stress concentration ratio for fully and partly penetrated SCP ground. However, stress concentration ratio and consolidation behavior might be different from whether the SCP reaches the bottom of the clay layer or not. In this research, a series of laboratory tests with numerical analyses were carried out for clayey ground improved by SCP method to investigate the effects of penetration ratio, relative density and replacement area ratio of the SCPs. Comparison between numerical analysis and test results was performed in terms of settlements, pore water pressures and stress concentration ratio.