Application of porous concrete to a structural foundation in soft ground

Abstract

In this study, porous concrete is applied to the stone column, which is a structural foundation in soft ground. The porous concrete reinforces the upper portion of the stone column and forms a composite foundation to restrain bulging collapse. To function as a foundation material properly in soft ground, concrete must be permeable to expel subsurface ground water outside and have sufficient compressive strength to reduce settlement, which is a critical factor for the foundation design. From laboratory experiments, the compressive strength increases and the permeability decreases as the amount of cement increases. To evaluate the settlement, full-scale tests and finite element analyses using porous concrete were performed. As a result, it was confirmed that the use of a stone column reinforced by porous concrete was very effective in reducing the settlement of the foundation in soft ground.