Repeated Load Response of Soil Reinforced by Two Layers of Geocell

Abstract

This paper describes a series of cyclic plate load tests on a circular plate with diameter of 300mm, supported on unreinforced and reinforced beds by one and two layers of geocell. The results show that, as the number of geocell layers increases, the loading surface settlement decreases due, in part, to better load spreading. The optimum depth of the uppermost geocell layer and of the geocell inter-layer spacing both were obtained 0.2 times of plate diameter. Likewise, with increase in the number of geocell layers inside the foundation bed, the pressure transferred to depth, considerably decreases. For instance, at the end cycle of applied pressure of 800kPa, the vertical stress transferred to a depth of 350mm beneath the centre of loading surface, is about 462.8, 321.9, 274.3kPa for unreinforced and reinforced bases with one and two layers of geocell, respectively.