Effect of geosynthetic reinforcement on the bearing capacity of strip footing on sandy soil

Abstract

Due to the increasing presence of problematic soils, expansive clays and highly compressive sand engineers are using a verity of soil improvement techniques to treat such soils. While geosynthetics are extensively used for improving soil characteristics in roads, pavements and embankments, it can also be used to increase the lack of bearing capacity of residential housing or lightweight structures constructed on sandy soils. In order to simulate site conditions in the laboratory environment, a laboratory-scale testing platform has been manufactured to assess the behaviour of geosynthetics reinforced and un-reinforced strip footing. The first group of tests were performed on the unreinforced compacted sandy soils with different densities where the other group of tests were carried out in the soil that has been reinforced individually with three different types of geosynthetic materials having distinct tensile strengths. Furthermore, interface direct shear tests and consolidated undrained triaxial tests have been carried out to determine the shear parameters which is directly influencing the bearing capacity a strip footing. Geosynthetic reinforcement has considerably enhanced the mechanical behaviour of sandy soil in regarding the type of geosynthetic. Furthermore, it was observed that coir geosynthetic has provided increased interfacial friction when compared to other geosynthetic types and improved bearing capacity. Moreover, the adopted testing method found to represent well the behaviour of such materials in the laboratory environment.