Development of a new consolidation test for soil-cement columns treated ground

In this study, Medium Rapid Consolidation Equipment (MRCE) was developed to determine the settlement behaviour of soft ground treated by soil-cement columns. MRCE operates based on Constant Rate Strain (CRS) consolidation theory, which is a continuous loading method of testing that can accelerate the consolidation process of cohesive soil as compared to the conventional Oedometer and Rowe cell tests. Since the stiffness of soil-cement columns increases with time, the CRS concept is the best method to determine the settlement at a particular time. Several modifications were made on the MRCE including the introduction of a back pressure system to further saturate the soil and measurement of excess pore water pressure. Four tests with varied values of the area of improvement were carried out using the MRCE to investigate settlement behaviour of stabilized soft soil. It was found that by increasing the area of improvements ranging from 15.3% to 30.7%, the strain rates improved from 41% to 53% compared to untreated soil. To conclude, the MRCE was able to quantify the consolidation characteristics of the stabilized soil with varying values of the area of improvements into a comparable settlement reduction factor.