ABSTRACT
A deposit of very soft clay is one of the problematic soils because of its low bearing capacity and high settlement. Very soft clay is found in many regions in Egypt especially in the North coast of Egypt. In this study, the enhancing the performance of double strip footings resting on very soft clay using cemented sand cushion is investigated. The cemented sand cushion consists of a mixture of 90% sand, 8% cement, and 2% rice husk ash by weight. An experimental modeling program was conducted. The main parameters affecting the bearing capacity and settlement of the cemented sand cushion underlain by very soft clay were studied. The studied parameters are thickness of cemented sand cushion, distance between the centerline of the double footings, and the outside length of the cemented sand cushion measured from the centerline of the footing.
