Improving the bearing capacity of footing on soft clay with sand pile with/without skirts

This paper presents the results of laboratory model tests for studying the improvement of soft clay layer by using both partially replaced sand piles with/without confinement. This research is performed to study the effect of sand pile to improve the bearing capacity and to control the settlement. Also the research aimed at investigating the variation of subgrade modulus, and the induced failure mechanism of shallow circular footing on replaced soil with/without skirts. The results show that the improvement of load bearing capacity is remarkable; using both partially replaced sand pile with and without confinement by skirts. The adopted technique can substantially modify the stress displacement curve of the footing rested on soft clay layer, significantly decreases the settlement and the replaced soil block inside the skirts behave as deep foundation. Therefore, the bearing capacity failure mechanism of a footing rested on soft clay can be modified from exclusive settlement to general bearing capacity failure at the tip of confined replaced sand column.