A case study on the performance of embankments on treated soft ground

Abstract

The proposed construction of a new high-speed rail link between Amsterdam and Brussels involves construction of embankments overlying soft clay and peat deposits with very stringent requirements on the time frame of construction and allowable settlements. A field program of instrumented test embankments, referred to as No-Recess, has compared the performance of five schemes for stabilizing the soft ground behavior. This thesis summarizes the No-Recess project and compares the measured performance for two instrumented using finite element analysis. The results confirm the benefits of geotextile encased sand columns as a practical technique for stiffening underlying soft soils, accelerating consolidation and reducing settlements.