1) The document discusses a study on using geosynthetic-reinforced stone columns to improve soft and stiff clay soils. Stone columns increase bearing capacity and reduce settlement, but ordinary stone columns can fail due to bulging in weak soils. 2) The study uses numerical modeling software to simulate geosynthetic-reinforced stone columns in layered soft and stiff clay soils. The modeling shows that reinforcing the stone columns with geosynthetics prevents bulging and significantly increases the load capacity. 3) Reinforcing weak soil layers is important for increasing the bearing capacity of stone columns. Stiffening the geosynthetic reinforcement further improves the load-bearing capacity of the soil.