Comparative Evaluation of Shear Strength Enhancement in Soft Clay Reinforced with Sand and Stone Dust Column

Comparative Evaluation of Shear Strength Enhancement in Soft Clay Reinforced with Sand and Stone Dust Column | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Comparative Evaluation of Shear Strength Enhancement in Soft Clay Reinforced with Sand and Stone Dust Column Md. Ikramul Hoque, Md. Shafayet Alam, Jhumana Akter This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7449233/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 11 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Soft clay soils are problematic soil that causes bearing capacity failure and excessive settlement, leading to severe damage to buildings and foundation. The stone column technique, commonly utilised to reinforce soft clay soils, enhances bearing capacity and reduces settlement by compacting gravel or stone aggregates, hence improving the stability and load-bearing capacity of foundation beds. This study aimed to examine and compare the efficacy of sand and stone dust columns in improving shear strength via laboratory-scale modelling. Initially, several geotechnical experiments were conducted to ascertain the qualities of the materials, and the findings were thoroughly analysed. The Unconfined Compression Test (UCT) and Triaxial Test were performed on 19 soil samples, comprising a control sample and three batches, each of 16 mm, 19 mm, and 25 mm diameter sand and stone dust columns, to comprehensively evaluate shear strength parameters, including apparent cohesion (c′) and effective friction angle (φ′). Sand and stone dust columns were tested with different area replacement ratios, such as 10.24% for a 16 mm diameter, 14.44% for a 19 mm diameter, and 25% for a 25 mm diameter. The column heights varied for each diameter, measuring 60 mm, 80 mm, and 100 mm, which corresponded to penetration ratios of 0.6, 0.8, and 1.0, respectively. The most significant enhancement was observed for both stone dust and sand columns at a diameter of 19 mm with a penetration of 100 mm, showing improvements of 90.21% and 85.31%, respectively. The improvements in shear strength were significantly influenced by both column diameter and height, with optimal height-to-diameter (H c /D c ) ratios for enhancing load-bearing capacity ranging from 4 to 8. Soft Clay Sand Column Stone Dust Column UCS and Shear Strength Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 11 Dec, 2025 Reviews received at journal 10 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 08 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 03 Dec, 2025 Reviews received at journal 20 Oct, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 16 Oct, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 19 Sep, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 05 Sep, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 25 Aug, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 25 Aug, 2025 First submitted to journal 24 Aug, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7449233","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":510670424,"identity":"8b12eb31-9106-4a96-8301-6e1f5f98d4c3","order_by":0,"name":"Md. 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The stone column technique, commonly utilised to reinforce soft clay soils, enhances bearing capacity and reduces settlement by compacting gravel or stone aggregates, hence improving the stability and load-bearing capacity of foundation beds. This study aimed to examine and compare the efficacy of sand and stone dust columns in improving shear strength via laboratory-scale modelling. Initially, several geotechnical experiments were conducted to ascertain the qualities of the materials, and the findings were thoroughly analysed. The Unconfined Compression Test (UCT) and Triaxial Test were performed on 19 soil samples, comprising a control sample and three batches, each of 16 mm, 19 mm, and 25 mm diameter sand and stone dust columns, to comprehensively evaluate shear strength parameters, including apparent cohesion (c\u0026prime;) and effective friction angle (φ\u0026prime;). 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