ABSTRACTIn very soft soils, the use of stone columns can be problematic due to the lack ofadequate lateral confining pressure. In these situations, to provide the required lateralconfining pressure and to increase their bearing capacity, stone columns can beencased by a suitable geosynthetic. Using a high-strength geosynthetic forconfinement not only increases the strength of a stone column, but also preventslateral squeezing of the column due to movement in the very soft surrounding soil. ...