Effect of 3D Geogrid and Glasgrid in the Bearing Capacity of Square Footing Over Soil Slope

Abstract

Many civil engineering structures such as buildings, bridges, and road embankment etc. require the construction of foundations over soil slope. Reinforcement technique is a low-cost method of enhancing the load carrying capacity of such foundations. Over the past three decades, geosynthetics have been successfully used as a reinforcing material. In the present study, a series of small-scale model footing tests were conducted on the geosynthetics reinforced soil slope. A bi oriented 3D geogrid and glasgrid were used as a reinforcing material. The results obtained from laboratory model footing tests over a geosynthetics reinforced earth slope are analyzed and presented. Pressure settlement curves and improvement factor (IF) were studied by measuring the results of different settlement ratios. Various parameters like edge distance (D) and slope angle (β) were studied to check the effect of slope geometry. Some other parameters like optimum value of initial reinforcement depth (u), influence depth of reinforcement (d), and number of reinforcements (N) were also considered to check the effect of geosynthetic in the enhancement of load carrying capacity of footing over reinforced earth slope. Experimental results demonstrate that load carrying capacity of foundation resting over soil slope significantly improved by the placement of geosynthetics in the soil. On the basis of the experimental work, critical values of geosynthetic parameters for the optimum reinforcing effect are suggested.