Performance-based verification method for ground improved by sand compaction pile with spatial variability in soil strength

Abstract

In this paper, the spatial variability in soil strength was modeled by random field theory and Monte Carlo simulations for ground improved by sand compaction pile (SCP) and were performed. The conclusions obtained are as follows: 1) Ground improvement using the SCP method for spatially variable ground was suggested to reduce the variation in settlement due to the excess pore water pressure dissipation after earthquake. 2) A sufficient statistical value such as accumulated mean and standard deviation of earthquake-induced settlement was obtained with 50 trials of the Monte Carlo simulation. 3) By assuming that the probabilistic density distribution of the penetration settlement of structures follows a normal distribution, a performance-based verification method for SCP-improved ground considering the spatial variation of soil strength was proposed.