Geological disasters often occur due to expansion and shrinkage properties of expansive soil. This paper presents a cementitious material combined with rice husk ash (RHA) obtained from biomass power plants and lime to stabilize expansive soil. Based on compressive and flexural strength of RHA‐lime mortars, blending ratio of RHA/lime was adopted as 4 : 1 by weight for soil stabilization. When mix proportion of RHA‐lime mixture varied from 0% to 20%, specific surface area of stabilized expansive soil decreased dramatically and medium particle size increased. The deformation and strength properties of stabilized expansive soil were investigated through swelling test, consolidation test, unconfined compression test, direct shear test, and so on. With increase in RHA‐lime content and curing time, deformation properties including swelling potential, swelling pressure, compression index, crack quantity, and fineness of expansive soil lowered remarkably; meanwhile, strength properties involving unconfined compressive strength, cohesion, and internal friction angle improved significantly. Considering engineering performance and cost, mix proportion of 15% and initial water content of 1.2 times optimum moisture content were recommended for stabilizing expansive soil. In addition, effectiveness of RHA‐lime to stabilize expansive soil was achieved by replacement efficiency, coagulation reaction, and ion exchange.

The bearing capacity of soil changes owing to the mechanical properties of the soil and influences on structural stability. In most of the geotechnical engineering projects, there are several soil mechanic experiments, they need interpretation before application. The mechanical properties of soil interaction make complex predict of soil bearing capacity. However, to enhancement safety of construction project need to the interpretation of soil experiments and design results for proper application in a geotechnical engineering project. In this study, artificial neural networking is proposed for the evaluation of the mixed soil characteristics to forecast the safe bearing capacity of soil because of the mechanical properties of the soil interaction phenomenon. The results reveal for prediction of the safe bearing capacity, the R2 and RMSE for all mechanical properties effects on safe bearing capacity are 0.98 and 0.02, these values can provide a suitable accuracy for prediction safe bearing capacity of the mixed soil. The higher inaccuracy obtained when only the influence of single mechanical property on the mixed soil considered in prediction of the safe bearing capacity. This study supports the enhancement of geotechnical engineering design quality through prediction safe bearing capacity from characterized mechanical properties of the soil.

The unconfined compressive strength (q_u) weakness of low-compressibility clay (CL) reduces its structural safety. As part of the present study, waste glass powder (WGP) was mixed with Portland cement to improve the geotechnical properties of clayey soil, thus contributing to sustainability through the recycling of municipal waste. Based on the stiffness and chemical composite of WGP and cement, the adopted mixing ratio of the mixed soil was 10% and 20% WGP and 3% and 6% cement. The soil mixing ratio was selected and tested considering the percentage of the cement, WGP, water/cement ratio, dry unit weight, porosity of the specimen, and curing times of 7 days and 28 days. SEM-EDS tests were conducted to examine the impact of raw materials on the microstructural mixed soil. The results from SEM-EDS show that the cement–WGP–CL mixture caused different degrees of cementation and bonding products. Modifying multiple layers of water in the particle of the clay surface led to the enhancement of the interaction of the interlayer of hydrated clay, achieving the best unconfined compressive strength and stiffness of the designed specimen. From the viewpoint of unconfined compressive strength and stiffness enhancement, blending content of 20% WGP and 6% cement and dry unit weights compaction was recommended for stabilizing CL. The process of q_u and stiffness improving CL involved an optimized mixing ratio and particle densification reaction efficiency. The soil’s q_u and stiffness were predicted using ANN (artificial neural networks) and the porosity/cement index was predicted based on the experimental results.

Complex interaction mechanism exists between the pile group and soil. To realize the pile‐soil load transmission mechanism in detail, the failure pattern of pile groups installed in dense sand considering different pile spacing was investigated by means of laboratory experimental model test and three‐dimensional discrete element method. The results suggested that the narrow pile spacing was beneficial to the development of the pile tip resistance, and it enhanced the bearing performance of the pile group at the initial stage of settlement. The pile spacing changed the shaft resistance pattern with modification of the strain energy mechanism released within the subsoil. The pile group with 6b pile spacing had higher composite group efficiency. A joint fan‐shaped displacement zone was formed beneath the pile tip for the pile group with 3b pile spacing; this pile foundation presented the block failure mechanism. The sand displacement beneath the cap for the pile group with 6b pile spacing mainly located on the upper part of the piles, the sand displacement around both sides of the piles presented asymmetric, and a relatively independent fan‐shaped displacement zone was formed beneath the pile tip.

This paper presents the numerical results of concrete footing‐soil foundation seismic interaction mechanism. The concrete footing has been made with two different shapes, but with the equal volume of concrete material. The concrete footing‐soil foundation has been analyzed using nonlinear finite elements, with the fixed‐base state. The simulated near‐fault ground motions have been applied to the concrete footing‐soil foundation. The problem has been formulated based on the settlement controlled analysis. The local geotechnical conditions of all configurations have been analyzed. The numerical analysis results indicate that the shape of a concrete footing alters seismic response, revises inertial interaction, enhances damping ratio, improves load carry capacity, modifies cyclic differential settlement, revises failure patterns, minimizes nonlinear deformation, and changes cyclic strain energy dissipation. The novelty of this research work is the strain energy has more been dissipated with artistic concrete footing design.