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The Sustainable Design of Granular Columns Based on

Laboratory Model Tests

Selçuk Demir1; Farhad R. Mokarram2; and Pelin Özener3

1
Research Assistant, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Yildiz Technical Univ., Esenler/Istanbul, Turkey. E-mail:
sedemir@yildiz.edu.tr
2
Graduate Student, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Yildiz Technical Univ., Esenler/Istanbul, Turkey. E-mail:
rahimifarhad@rocketmail.com
3
Associate Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Yildiz Technical Univ., Esenler/Istanbul, Turkey. E-
mail: tohumcu@yildiz.edu.tr

Abstract: In this paper, the use of the recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) material in the
performance of granular column construction is investigated through laboratory model
tests. In the study, firstly, geotechnical properties of RCA material are investigated and
some basic tests including particle size distribution, permeability, Los Angeles abrasion
test, water absorption, specific gravity, triaxial test and direct shear test are conducted in
order to characterize the RCA material. Following these tests, a series of laboratory
model tests are carried out by using RCA and NA (natural aggregate) as a granular
column material in soft soil deposits having different undrained shear strength. At the
end of the model tests, it is concluded that reuse of recycled concrete aggregate can be
considered in the construction of granular columns and play an important role in
sustainable geotechnical design.

INTRODUCTION

Recycling of waste materials obtained from demolition of structures contributes to

sustainable development and construction due to its environmental, economical and
social benefits like reducing the pollution and volume of waste material. Therefore, there
is a need of recycling and reusing these materials in terms of sustainability. Researches
carried out in this field provide valuable information about protection of natural
environment and usage of waste materials in different ways. RCA materials are widely
used in construction of embankments or pavements in geotechnical applications.
However, it is rare to use RCA materials in granular column construction. Nowadays,
the awareness of using of RCA in construction of granular columns is rising. Some
researchers investigated the availability of RCA materials in the field applications with
using vibro-stone column technique (Serridge, 2005; Tranter R., et al. 2008). Besides

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this experimental studies performed on RCA and geotechnical properties were

investigated (McKelvey et al. 2002, Sivakumar et al. 2004, Poon and Chan 2006, Tam
and Tam 2007, Arulrajah et al. 2012b). In this study, experimental studies were
performed on RCA materials and effectiveness of using RCA material in granular
column construction were investigated by means of model tests. For this purpose, single
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and group granular columns created by using RCA and NA materials with a diameter
and a height of 5.5 cm and 16.5 cm, respectively were constructed in soft soil beds that
have different undrained shear strengths of cu=2.0 kPa and 6.5 kPa. The soil beds were
prepared by mixing 60% sand, 40% clay with water at a water content of 1.5 times the
liquid limit of the clayey sand. The slurry soil beds were then placed in the test tanks
were first allowed to consolidate under their own weights and then consolidated under
different consolidation pressures by using dead weights to obtain various undrained soil
strength values. After the consolidation process, single and group granular columns were
installed in the soil beds by using NA and RCA. In order to measure the pressure
transmitted to the columns and the soil bed, stress cells were placed in the soil bed and at
the top of granular columns. The results obtained from stress cell measurements were
also evaluated in order to compare the performance of granular columns constructed
with recycled concrete aggregates with their counterparts constructed with natural
aggregates.
As a result of the model tests, geotechnical properties of the RCA material are seen to
satisfy the criteria for using them as granular columns and provided future promising
information about their use as a sustainable material in geotechnical designs.

EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM

The use of RCA in terms of sustainability is important. However, the engineering

properties of these materials should be well identified by standard laboratory tests before
using them. Many studies are available in the literature related to geotechnical properties
of these materials and well presented in Arulrajah et al. (2012a,b). In this study, in order
to determine the engineering properties of RCA, some laboratory tests were performed.
These tests are; particle size distribution, specific gravity, permeability, triaxial test and
direct shear test, Los Angeles abrasion test and water absorption test. After determining
the engineering properties, ten laboratory model tests were carried out for three different
cases: (a) clayey sand bed without column, (b) clayey sand bed with column installed by
compacted RCA material (c) clayey sand bed with column installed by compacted NA.
The testing program is summarized in Table 1.

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Table 1. Model Testing Program

Material Undrained Shear

Column Type
Used Strength, cu (kPa)
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Single 2.0 , 6.5

RCA
Group 2.0 , 6.5
Single 2.0 , 6.5
NA
Group 2.0 , 6.5
none Without column 2.0 , 6.5

MATERIALS and METHODS

Nowadays, the use of RCA material instead of NA as a backfill material has a very
important place in sustainable geotechnical engineering practice. With the increasing
awareness in the sustainability in geotechnical engineering, especially the use of RCA
instead of NA has increased in vibro-stone column applications. (Serridge, 2015). A
proper stone column backfill material grading should ensure good drainage and
mobilization after a relatively small settlement (Tranter R. et al. 2008, Babu et al. 2013).
Within the scope of urban renewal project carried out by İstanbul Municipality, RCA
materials were obtained from a construction site and several laboratory tests were
performed in order to characterize the basic properties of the RCA material.

Property Tests

The laboratory tests consist of grain size analysis, specific gravity tests, hydraulic
conductivity test, shear strength test were performed on both RCA and NA materials.
Particle size distribution curves were determined according to ASTM D422 and shown
in Figure 1. The percentage of fine grain material from the results of sieve analysis
found to be 3.5%. Serridge (2005) stated that the amount of the fine grain percentage in
the RCA materials should be less than 5.0%. The specific gravities of the RCA and NA
evaluated according to ASTM D854 and found to be 2.61 and 2.74, respectively. Tam
and Tam (2007) studied on the physical properties of RCA materials and found that
specific gravities of RCA vary between 2.1 and 2.7. Constant head permeability test
(ASTM D2434) applied on RCA and NA (γ=γdmax) and measured the hydraulic
conductivities of the aggregate samples. The hydraulic conductivities should be high
enough to provide good drainage capacity for granular column applications. For the used
RCA and NA materials, hydraulic conductivities found about 3.51 x 10-6 and 1.13 x 10-5
(m/s), respectively. Shear strength parameters c and φ obtained by using triaxial test
(CD), (ASTM D7181) and large direct shear box (300 mm x 300 mm) tests. In the
previous studies, internal friction angle (φ) and cohesion (c) results from CD and direct
shear box tests were found to be between 350-550 and 35-46 kPa, respectively (Sarsby,
2000; McKelvey et al., 2002; Steele, 2004; Ratje et al., 2006; Arulrajah et al., 2012a).

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Particles crushing and degradation is considered as a significant issue in certain

geotechnical applications and accordingly any attempt to utilize recycled materials in
geotechnical engineering applications should examine this issue carefully (Sivakumar et
al., 2004) and the Los Angeles abrasion (LAA) tests are used to determine the relative
quality or competence of the aggregates (Arulrajah et al., 2012a). Although, the LAA
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was originally created to look at highway subgrade, it can still give a useful index value
for assessment of resistance to fragmentation (Serridge, 2005). The LAA abrasion loss
value obtained for RCA in this study is found to be 41% and it is approximately close to
the value of <40% that ASTM C535 suggested. Poon and Chan (2006) reported that the
water absorption values of RCA ranges from 3 % to 10 %. In this study, water
absorption value is found to be in the order of 3.4 and this value is within the ranges
given by Poon and Chan (2006). A general summary of all these results are listed in
Table 2 and the whole results showed the suitability of RCA materials for the laboratory
model studies.

FIG. 1. Particle size distribution curves of NA and RCA used in this study

Table 2. Comparison of Geotechnical Properties RCA and NA Materials

Typical Quarry Material for

Test Name RCA NA RCA (Arulrajah et al., 2012b)
Specific Gravity (Gs) 2.61 2.74 2.1 ~ 2.7
Permeability (m/s) 3.51 x 10 -6 1.13 x 10 -5 >1 x 10 -9
φo / c (kPa), (Large 53o - 38o 57o - 48o > 35
Shear Box - Triaxial / / /
Test) 0-18 0-0 > 35
Fine content (%) 0.38 0 <5
Water absorption (%) 3.4 not available <10
LAA loss (%) 41 not available <40

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Laboratory Model Tests and Procedures

Model studies performed on test tanks and granular columns installed in clayey soil
beds. Figure 2 shows details of model studies. As shown Fig. 2, single and group
columns loaded axially by a square plate of 250x250 mm dimensions to determine the
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bearing capacity ratios, stiffness characteristics and stress distribution ratios of columns.
Here, l and d are length and diameter of the columns, respectively, and n represents the
number of columns. The same l/d ratio were used in all model experiments.

FIG. 2. Details of model test studies for single and group column pattern

The soft soil bed was formed with mixtures of kaolin and sand which prepared by
mixing 60% sand and 40% clay with a water content of 1.5 times the liquid limit. The
physical properties of the kaolin, sand, and clayey sand are given in Table 3. Before
placing the mixture in the test tanks, geotextile filter was placed at the base of the tank to
provide drainage. After that, the slurry mixture was placed in the test tank with in layers
and a geotextile filter placed on the prepared sample surface. The soft soil sample in the
tank was left for consolidation under its own weight. Consolidation continued under a
pressure of 5 and 10 kPa. Vertical displacements were recorded at each consolidation
stage and at the end of consolidation, the undrained shear strength of soil was
determined by vane shear tests at different depths. Following the consolidation process,
granular columns were installed in the soil beds. Granular columns were constructed in 4
steps; (1) a steel tube with a header was pushed into the soil bed (2) granular material
was charged into the hole in layers by compacting each layer, (3) the above procedures
were continued until the column reached to the desired length, (4) finally, columns were
prepared with a dry unit weight of about 14~16 kN/m3 (Fig. 3). After the preparation of
the columns, load tests were performed to determine the bearing capacity and stiffness
of the columns. Each loading increment was kept for 5 minutes. Two pressure cells
were placed under the loading plate to determine the pressures transmitted to the column

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and the surrounding soil. One of the pressure cells were placed on the aggregate column
in order to measure the pressure acting on it. Stress ratio between the surrounding soil
and column were evaluated based on the results measured by stress cells. Displacements
were recorded at each loading increment with a resistive linear position meter connected
to a data acquisition system.
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Table 3. Properties of the Soils Used in the Model Tests

Soil Type USCS Specific Liquid Plastic Plasticity

Weight (Gs) Limit (wL) Limit (wP) Index (IP)
Sand SP 2.65 - - -
Clay CH 2.54 61 37 24
Clayey Sand SC 2.63 25 14 11

FIG. 3. Granular column preparation steps a) steel pipe and header b) aggregate
introducing into the hole c) location of single column d) location of group columns

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INTERPRETATION OF TEST RESULTS

This paper presents the results of 10 model tests consisting of models without granular
columns, single granular column, and group granular column. Results obtained from
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RCA and NA model tests were evaluated in terms bearing capacity, undrained shear
strength effect and stress distribution between columns and surrounding soil.

Load Test Results

Fig. 4 shows the applied load-settlement behavior of the granular column-reinforced

soil bed for different undrained shear strength and aggregate material. The load
corresponding to 25 mm settlement was considered as the load carrying capacity of the
column. As it is seen in Fig. 4, the load carrying capacity increases with the number of
granular columns and with the value of undrained shear strength of soil bed. Load
carrying capacity ratio (the load ratios of cu= 6.5 kPa and cu= 2.0 kPa) of the single RCA
columns found to be about 2.0. This ratio equals to about 2.7 for group RCA columns.
Similarly, load carrying capacity ratios of single and group NA columns found to be 2.3
and 2.5, respectively. It can be noticed that increases of the undrained shear strength of
the soil bed contributes to RCA and NA column load capacity performance significantly.

FIG. 4. Load-settlement curves for RCA and NA granular columns

Fig. 5 shows the bearing capacity ratio curves (q/cu) for the unimproved soil bed, soil
bed improved by RCA single granular column and group granular column, and the soil
bed improved by NA single granular column and group granular column. Here; q:
applied pressure, S: settlement and B: width of the loading plate. As can be seen from

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Fig.5, the bearing capacity curves of the group RCA and NA columns are much closer to
each other as compared to single RCA and NA columns curves. Therefore, it can be
concluded that RCA group columns show almost the same performance as NA group
columns show in soft soil bed. Bearing capacity ratios of single columns and group
columns for cu=2.0 kPa with RCA and NA columns at S/B= 0.10 (corresponding to 25
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mm settlement) value are measured to be 10 and 11.8 for the single column cases and
values of 13 and 14 for group column cases. Similar results are found for cu=6.5 kPa
with the values of 6.5 and 8.5 for single column and 10.5 and 11 for group column.
Table 4 shows the increase in the bearing capacity ratio with respect to unimproved soil
in percentage for tests with RCA and NA columns. It is clearly seen from all test results
that, RCA and NA granular column performance are found to be close to each other and
load bearing capacity of those models are seen to be higher than the unimproved soil.

FIG. 5. Bearing capacity ratios of 10 model tests

Table 4. Comparisons of the Increase in the Bearing Capacity Ratio for Model
Tests

Model Tests q/cu value (at 25 mm) Percentage increase (%)

cu=2.0 kPa cu=6.5 kPa cu=2.0 kPa cu=6.5 kPa
RCA column single 10 6.5 11.1 8.3
group 13 10.5 44.4 75
NA column single 11.8 8.5 31.1 41.6
group 14 11 55.5 83.3
Unimproved soil 9 6 - -

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Stress Distribution Between Columns and the Surrounding Soil

Stress distribution ratio is the ratio of the measured contact stress of granular column
to the surrounding soil. In this study, this ratio is computed based on the data gathered
from stress cells and it also gives an idea about the stiffness ratio of the column and
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surrounding soil. Hence, by using this ratio, the load sharing mechanism of granular
column and surrounding soil can be estimated approximately. In order to obtain the
stresses that are transmitted to the column and the surrounding soil, one of the stress
cells was placed at the top of the column in order to measure the pressure transmitted on
the granular column and the other one was placed at the soil surface to measure the
pressure developed in the soil bed. The measurements recorded from the stress cells
were evaluated to understand the stress distribution mechanism that develop between the
granular columns and surrounding soil. Fig. 6 presents the result of stress distribution
ratios between column and surrounding soil with respect to settlement. Generally, the
variation of the stress distribution ratios show increment until a value at a point at 5 mm
settlement. After that, the ratio reaches a straight line or decay towards the end of the
experiment. Results indicate that stress distribution ratios increase when the number of
granular column increases. This behavior indicates that group columns bear great
amount of the transmitted load. Therefore, the effect of the granular columns become
much more pronounced in soft soil beds compared to soft soil improved with single
granular column. In addition, the increase in undrained shear strength causes a decrease
in the stress distribution ratios. The overall evaluation of the data summarized in Fig.6
show that except one experiment (single NA column, cu=6.5 kPa), when the undrained
shear strength of the soil decreases, the effect of aggregate column becomes much more
pronounced in terms of load sharing mechanism.

FIG. 6. Variation of Stress distribution ratio with respect to settlement

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CONCLUSIONS

In light of this information, a 10 model tests performed on soft soils improved with
RCA material and NA. Based on these tests, the following conclusions were drawn:
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• The results obtained from engineering property tests including the particle size
distribution, specific gravity, permeability, triaxial and direct shear test, water absorption
and Los Angeles abrasion tests performed on RCA showed that RCA can be used
efficiently as a backfill material in producing granular columns as expected.
• Load carrying capacity ratio of single and group columns that created by RCA and NA
in soft soil beds indicated that increase in the undrained shear strength of the soil
contributes significantly to load carrying capacity performance of RCA and NA
columns.
• Bearing capacity ratios of all test results showed that the performances of RCA and
NA granular columns are close to each other and higher than the unimproved soil.
• Stress distribution ratios evaluated in terms of load sharing mechanism and it is
concluded that under the same undrained shear strength condition, this behavior
indicates that group columns bear great amount of the transmitted load. Therefore, the
effect of the granular columns become much more pronounced in soft soil beds
compared to soft soil improved with single granular column. Additionally, increase in
the undrained shear strength of soil bed causes a reduction in the stress distribution
ratios of the granular columns.

As a result of the model test presented in this paper, it is concluded that reuse of
recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) can be considered in the construction of granular
columns and play important role in sustainable geotechnical design. On the other hand,
more in-situ and large-scale model tests are needed in order to investigate the behavior
of RCA columns in detail.

REFERENCES

Arulrajah, A., Piratheepan, J., Ali, M. M. Y., and Bo, M. W. (2012a). "Geotechnical
properties of recycled concrete aggregate in pavement sub-base applications."
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Arulrajah, A., Piratheepan, J., Disfani, M. M., and Bo, M. W. (2012b). "Geotechnical
and geoenvironmental properties of recycled construction and demolition materials in
pavement subbase applications." Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 25(8):
1077-1088.
ASTM C535-12, (2012). "Standard test method for resistance to degradation of large-
size coarse aggregate by abrasion and impact in the Los Angeles machine." ASTM
International, West Conshohocken, PA, www.astm.org

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ASTM D2434-68 (2006). "Standard test method for permeability of granular soils
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