Bearing capacity of embedded strip foundation on geogrid-reinforced sand: Fid-Bau Portal

Bearing capacity of embedded strip foundation on geogrid-reinforced sand

Patra, C.R. / Das, B.M. / Atalar, C.

Results of several studies have been published that relate to the evaluation of the ultimate and allowable bearing capacities of shallow foundations supported by sand reinforced with multi-layered geogrid. All of these studies have been conducted for surface foundation conditions. The effect of the depth of embedment of the foundation, which is the normal situation in all practical cases of construction, has not received proper attention. The purpose of this paper is to report some recent laboratory model test results conducted to evaluate the ultimate bearing capacity of a strip foundation supported by geogrid-reinforced sand. For these tests, the d_f/B value (d_f: depth of foundation, B: width of foundation) was varied from zero to one. Only one type of geogrid and one variety of sand at one relative density were used. The ultimate bearing capacity obtained from the model test program has been compared with the theory proposed by Huang and Meng (J. of Geotechn. and Geoenvironm. Eng. ASCE (1977)123(1), 30-36). Based on the present tests, it appears that the theory provides a conservative prediction of the ultimate bearing capacity. It is recommended that tests of this type be carried out for kartstic soils and weak cohesive soils to evaluate the improvement in bearing capacity, which may be helpful in field conditions. In many cases foundations are designed for limited settlement conditions. Therefore, it may be useful to evaluate the efficiency of reinforcements at small settlements of the foundation in future studies.