Effects of Sand–Cement Columns on Primary Consolidation Settlement

The rapid increase in population and the corresponding increase in developments have necessitated the stabilization of areas with poor soil conditions. Due to consolidation settlement, the soft grounds available are deemed unsuitable for such structures. This paper presents the use of cement additiv...

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Main Authors: Benjamin Abankwa, Mehrdad Razavi, Richard Otoo, Abraham Armah, Sandra Donkor
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/14/7690
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author Benjamin Abankwa
Mehrdad Razavi
Richard Otoo
Abraham Armah
Sandra Donkor
author_facet Benjamin Abankwa
Mehrdad Razavi
Richard Otoo
Abraham Armah
Sandra Donkor
author_sort Benjamin Abankwa
collection DOAJ
description The rapid increase in population and the corresponding increase in developments have necessitated the stabilization of areas with poor soil conditions. Due to consolidation settlement, the soft grounds available are deemed unsuitable for such structures. This paper presents the use of cement additives to build sand–cement columns in saturated clayey soils. The approach significantly reduces consolidation settlement and increases the bearing capacity, providing a viable solution to foundation problems. Consolidation tests were conducted on saturated clay specimens and sand–cement columns arranged in various patterns. A 5% cement content by the dry weight of the sand was used in building sand–cement columns. The results showed that the consolidation settlement rate was high due to the extra drainage formed by the widened pores in the sand–cement columns. The extra drainage caused more water to leave the specimen in a given time. However, after full contact between the loading platen and sand–cement columns, the rate of consolidation settlement decreased. At this stage, sand–cement participated in carrying the load. Additionally, the effect of vertical drainage on speeding up consolidation at higher stress levels was minimal, as the widened pores in the sand–cement columns began to close.
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spelling doaj-art-15d77d06f23641fdbcb0d8fe8b31e6392025-08-20T02:45:37ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-07-011514769010.3390/app15147690Effects of Sand–Cement Columns on Primary Consolidation SettlementBenjamin Abankwa0Mehrdad Razavi1Richard Otoo2Abraham Armah3Sandra Donkor4New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Mineral Engineering, 801 Leroy Place, Socorro, NM 87801, USANew Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Mineral Engineering, 801 Leroy Place, Socorro, NM 87801, USANew Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Mineral Engineering, 801 Leroy Place, Socorro, NM 87801, USANew Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Mineral Engineering, 801 Leroy Place, Socorro, NM 87801, USANew Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Mineral Engineering, 801 Leroy Place, Socorro, NM 87801, USAThe rapid increase in population and the corresponding increase in developments have necessitated the stabilization of areas with poor soil conditions. Due to consolidation settlement, the soft grounds available are deemed unsuitable for such structures. This paper presents the use of cement additives to build sand–cement columns in saturated clayey soils. The approach significantly reduces consolidation settlement and increases the bearing capacity, providing a viable solution to foundation problems. Consolidation tests were conducted on saturated clay specimens and sand–cement columns arranged in various patterns. A 5% cement content by the dry weight of the sand was used in building sand–cement columns. The results showed that the consolidation settlement rate was high due to the extra drainage formed by the widened pores in the sand–cement columns. The extra drainage caused more water to leave the specimen in a given time. However, after full contact between the loading platen and sand–cement columns, the rate of consolidation settlement decreased. At this stage, sand–cement participated in carrying the load. Additionally, the effect of vertical drainage on speeding up consolidation at higher stress levels was minimal, as the widened pores in the sand–cement columns began to close.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/14/7690consolidation settlementsand–cement columnssaturated clay
spellingShingle Benjamin Abankwa
Mehrdad Razavi
Richard Otoo
Abraham Armah
Sandra Donkor
Effects of Sand–Cement Columns on Primary Consolidation Settlement
Applied Sciences
consolidation settlement
sand–cement columns
saturated clay
title Effects of Sand–Cement Columns on Primary Consolidation Settlement
title_full Effects of Sand–Cement Columns on Primary Consolidation Settlement
title_fullStr Effects of Sand–Cement Columns on Primary Consolidation Settlement
title_full_unstemmed Effects of Sand–Cement Columns on Primary Consolidation Settlement
title_short Effects of Sand–Cement Columns on Primary Consolidation Settlement
title_sort effects of sand cement columns on primary consolidation settlement
topic consolidation settlement
sand–cement columns
saturated clay
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/14/7690
work_keys_str_mv AT benjaminabankwa effectsofsandcementcolumnsonprimaryconsolidationsettlement
AT mehrdadrazavi effectsofsandcementcolumnsonprimaryconsolidationsettlement
AT richardotoo effectsofsandcementcolumnsonprimaryconsolidationsettlement
AT abrahamarmah effectsofsandcementcolumnsonprimaryconsolidationsettlement
AT sandradonkor effectsofsandcementcolumnsonprimaryconsolidationsettlement