Geotechnical Aspects of Weak Soil Deposits at the New Community of North East Region of Egypt

The present study addresses the weak soil problems in terms of loose sand and soft clay at the north east
region of Egypt. Historical, geological and geotechnical background of the soil layers as a Nile Delta deposit have been evaluated and studied. Both loose sand and soft clay soil parameters and characteristics have been evaluated being based on some site characterization from executed numerous boreholes. A treatment method for foundation on these types of soil deposits, where mega projects such as wind turbines, power stations, oil tanks and nuclear plants exist, has to be established. To suggest the suitable foundation system considering this approach numerically, 2D and 3D PLAXIS models available in literature have firstly been examined. As
a result, a new Skirted foundation as a model adopted for the compressible soils in the scope of this study has been suggested. Skirted foundations type has been analyzed and discussed, taken into consideration both skirt
configuration and length. The output of non-skirted foundation were taken as a reference for comparison. The outcomes of the verified numerical models showed well agreement to the attested references, and the proposed model is able to simulate the cases for the current study purposes.