Engineering Ask

Stone Columns🌏   Like most ground improvement techniques, stone columns are used to reduce settlement and increase load-bearing capacity of soil. They also accelerate soil consolidation because of the drainage capacity of the granular material within the columns, which act as pore or water pressure evacuation points. Stone columns are particularly effective in improving #slope stability and preventing liquefaction by increasing shear strength within a soil.  These vertical inclusions can be made of stone or sand and are installed in a grid pattern into the soft soils beneath the structure. Stone columns also known as aggregate piers are well suited for the improvement of soft or loose soils as they create vertical inclusions with high stiffness, shear strength and draining characteristics. The Stone Columns result in an increased bearing capacity, and a reduction of the total and differential settlements.

BENEFITS OF STRUCTURAL HEALTH MONITORING: 1- New infrastructure such as major bridges are now commonly designed with built-in structural health monitoring systems to ease long term maintenance and to validate design assumptions. 2- Older infrastructure can see their lifespan extended with state-of-the art SHM systems. 3- Structural health monitoring can be used for real-time alarms should a major issue like a landslide or a sinkhole damages an existing infrastructure. 4- Tall structures such as wind turbines, cellular towers and skyscrapers can be closely monitored with the proper instruments.