What Is an Aggregate Pier vs. a Stone Column?
Aggregate piers (the rammed — the stiff; the Geopier) reinforce via the high-modulus columns (the composite — the stress's concentration); stone columns (the vibro — the densified; the drainage) improve via the densification and the drainage (the liquefaction's — the mitigation). The pier: the stiffness; the column: the density and the drain. The selection: the soil's — the goal's.
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Aggregate piers
The ramming (the lifts' — the lateral's; the stiff), the composite (the modulus — the high; the footing's — the supported), and the use (the soft clays — the settlement's; the bearing's — the increased).
Stone columns
The vibro (the probe's — the densification; the stone's — the backfill), the drainage (the pore's — the dissipation; the liquefaction's — the mitigation), and the use (the sands — the liquefiable; the settlement's — the improved).
Selection
The clays (the piers' — the stiffness), the sands (the columns' — the drainage), the verification (the modulus — the tests'; the CPT — the improved), and the cost (the comparable — the goal's). The pier stiffens — the column drains.
The bottom line
Aggregate piers (rammed, high-modulus) suit soft clays needing bearing/settlement control; stone columns (vibro, drainage) suit liquefiable sands — verify with modulus tests or CPT.
Torch Engineering PLLC · (480) 490-0064 · info@torchengineering.com — PE stamping backed by Apex Grid Engineering.