Consolidation and deformation around stone columns: Numerical evaluation of analytical solutions

Coupled finite element analyses of the consolidation and deformation around stone columns have been performed to assess the accuracy of different analytical solutions. The numerical model reproduces the hypotheses of the closed-form solutions. In the model, a rigid load is applied to a unit cell formed by a fully penetrating column and its surrounding soil, and simple elastic or elasto-plastic soil models are used. The surface settlement, the dissipation of the pore pressure and the vertical stress concentration on the column are studied. These soil responses are accurately estimated with closed-form solutions that properly include the radial and plastic strains in the column. However, the surrounding soil does not yield for usual conditions, which reasonably justifies the elastic soil behavior assumed in the analytical solutions. The differences between drained and consolidation analyses are also evaluated. Comparing the numerical results with the closed-form solutions illustrates the implications of the assumptions of each approach.