TITLE:
Numerical Investigation of Shallow Foundations Reinforced with Soil-Cement Columns in Medium Stiff Clay, Soft Clay, and Peat
AUTHORS:
Tasneem Idris, Mohammed Issa Ali, Mohamed A. Frah, Jingliang Ye, Ruqin Luo, Hui Xie, Wenbing Wu
KEYWORDS:
Soil-Cement Columns, Shallow Foundations, Soft Cohesive Soils, Ground Improvement, Bearing Capacity, Settlement Reduction
JOURNAL NAME:
Engineering,
Vol.18 No.4,
April
21,
2026
ABSTRACT: Soil-cement columns (SCC) are widely used to improve the engineering properties of soft cohesive soils. Ensuring adequate bearing capacity and controlled settlement is critical in shallow foundation design. This study numerically investigates the effectiveness of SCC reinforcement using PLAXIS 2D, with analyses employing the Mohr-Coulomb and Soft Soil constitutive models. Three soil types—medium-stiff clay, soft clay, and peat—were evaluated to assess foundation performance with and without SCC in terms of load-settlement response, stress distribution, and deformation behavior. Results show that SCC substantially increases load-bearing capacity and stiffness while reducing settlement across all soils. The greatest improvements occur in medium-stiff clay (load: 97.7%, settlement: 70.5%), followed by peat (load: 92.3%, settlement: 69.1%) and soft clay (load: 82.3%, settlement: 63.6%). Stress transfer mechanisms are significantly modified, with stresses concentrated within the columns and their interfaces, resulting in reduced lateral displacement and overall settlement. SCC thus provides an effective approach for enhancing shallow foundation performance, although its efficiency strongly depends on soil type.