Effect of a Coarse Material Sandwich Technique on the Behavior of Geotextile Reinforced Clay

Abstract

AbstractThe usage of natural geotextile has been effective in improving geotechnical characteristics of soil and is being extensively used due to its several distinct advantages such as cheap, locally available, eco-friendly, and reinforcement material. In this study, jute geotextile is used as reinforcement for increasing the strength properties of soil. In the sandwich technique, sand is used as coarse material. This study presents the results of unconsolidated undrained triaxial compression tests for determining the shear strength and stiffness behavior of geotextile reinforced clay and the effects of sandwiching geotextile in a thin layer of sand on improving the shear strength and stiffness of reinforced clay. The test variables include confining pressures, number of geotextile layers and thickness of sand layers. The test results showed that reinforced clay’s shear strength and stiffness behavior considerably increased as the number of geotextile layers was increased. The test results showed that layers of sand encapsulating the geotextile could effectively enhance the soil–geotextile interaction regarding the sandwich technique. The shear strength and stiffness behavior of reinforced clay considerably increased as the thickness of the sand layer was increased.KeywordsTriaxial testSandwich techniqueJute geotextile