Behavior of Rigid Circular Shallow Foundations on Geogrid-Reinforced Sand

Abstract

This paper presents the effect of two types of geogrid inclusion on the bearing capacity of a rigidcircular footing resting on sand. The improvement achieved with uniaxial and biaxial geogrids iscompared. Load tests were performed for a broad series of conditions, including unreinforcedcases, was tested by varying variables such as geogrid type, number of geogrid layers, depth totopmost layer of geogrid and the case when the geogrid is anchored to the test mold. The resultswere then analyzed to find both qualitative and quantitative relationships between the bearingcapacity and the geogrid variables. The results of the investigation indicate that both, thesettlement and the bearing capacity, of circular footing resting on sand, can be enhanced by thepresence of geogrid layers. The improvement in stress-strain behavior of the geogrid-reinforcedsand was found to be strongly dependent on the number of geogrid layers, vertical distancebetween the base of the foundation and the first layer of geogrid and the tensile strength of geogridreinforcement