ABSTRACT
The deformation of a caisson-type quaywall constructed on very soft clay of 35 m thickness, which was improved by Sand Compaction Pile method, was analysed by finite element analysis. The applicability of the analysis and the current design method for the SCP method were examined by comparing with the observed deformations. The results of FE analysis well agreed with the observed deformations by modeling the improved ground as a sand-clay-integrated ground and using the same parameters of current design method, suggesting that the observed deformations are reasonable ones and the ground improvement works had been carried out adequately. When the sand pile (elasto-plastic model) and the in-situ clay (visco-elasto-plastic model) were separately modeled, the FE analysis agreed with the observation by making the Young’s modulus of sand piles 1/3–1/2 times the conventional design value.
