Behavioral Study of Soft Soil Beneath the Embankment Improved by Columns Derived from Recycled Concrete Aggregate and High-Calcium Fly Ash-Based Geopolymer

Muhammad Chofi Irnawan; Reysha Rizki Amanda Lubis

doi:10.56741/IISTR.esl.002462

Authors

Muhammad Chofi Irnawan
chofiirnawan@gmail.com
Universitas Widya Kartika https://orcid.org/0009-0005-0104-3680
Reysha Rizki Amanda Lubis Universitas Widya Kartika

Keywords:

Embankment, FEM, Geopolymer, RCA, Road Construction, Safety Factor

Abstract

Soft clay poses geotechnical challenges, not only due to its high water content, but also caused by high compressibility, low permeability, low bearing capacity, and low shear parameters, which might damage the upper structure of the building. Although column reinforcement methods, such as deep soil mixing, bottom ash columns, and cement soil columns, have been widely used for ground improvement, the performance of geopolymer concrete column (GCC) with recycled concrete aggregate remains under explored. This study aims to analyze embankment behavior on soft soil by reviewing settlement, the embankment safety factor, and the time required to reach a 90% degree of consolidation, both before and after reinforcement with geopolymer columns. Numerical simulations were conducted using a two-dimensional finite element method (FEM) in PLAXIS 2D software under plane-strain conditions. The parameters used in the modeling were soil parameters and geopolymer column (GPC) reinforcement adopted from previous research. The FEM analysis showed that GPCs can reduce consolidation settlement, accelerate consolidation rates, and increase the overall stability safety factor of the embankment system.

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Author Biographies

Muhammad Chofi Irnawan, Universitas Widya Kartika

Lecturer of Civil Engineering in Universitas Widya Kartika

Reysha Rizki Amanda Lubis, Universitas Widya Kartika

Lecturer of Civil Engineering in Universitas Widya Kartika

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