This task will develop an improved remediation technique and design method to mitigate liquefaction hazards in silty soils using stone columns. The end product from this research will be a report summarizing the improved design method with typical design charts and guidelines for installation of stone columns. The need to develop new methods to assess liquefaction potential of these soils and to cost-effectively remediate such sites to mitigate earthquake induced damages has been widely recognized.
Experience indicates that silty soils behave differently than clean sands.
Silty soils have low permeability and are relatively more compressible. The approach to the solution is two-fold, as described below. The first issue that needs to be addressed is the matrix behavior of silty soils and what constituents control their behavior. Recent studies have shed some light on this issue. Beyond that the silt primarily controls the behavior with minor reinforcement effect by the sand grains.