Bearing capacity of strip footings on sand slopes reinforced with geogrid and grid-anchor

This paper presents the effect of a new type of geogrid inclusion on the bearing capacity of a rigid strip footing constructed on a sand slope. A broad series of conditions, including unreinforced cases, was tested by varying parameters such as geogrid type, number of geogrid layers, vertical spacing and depth to topmost layer of geogrid. The results were then analyzed to find both qualitative and quantitative relationships between the bearing capacity and the geogrid parameters. A series of finite element analyses was additionally carried out on a prototype slope and the results were compared with the findings from the laboratory model tests and to complete the results of the model tests. The results show that the bearing capacity of rigid strip footings on sloping ground can be intensively increased by the inclusion of grid-anchor layers in the ground, and that the magnitude of bearing capacity increase depends greatly on the geogrid distribution. It is also shown that the load-settlement behavior and bearing capacity of the rigid footing can be considerably improved by the inclusion of a reinforcing layer at the appropriate location in the fill slope. The agreement between observed and computed results is found to be reasonably good in terms of load-settlement behavior and optimum parameters.     

Bearing capacity of square footings on geosynthetic reinforced sand

The results from laboratory model tests and numerical simulations on square footings resting on sand are presented. Bearing capacity of footings on geosynthetic reinforced sand is evaluated and the effect of various reinforcement parameters like the type and tensile strength of geosynthetic material, amount of reinforcement, layout and configuration of geosynthetic layers below the footing on the bearing capacity improvement of the footings is studied through systematic model studies. A steel tank of size 900 × 900 × 600 mm is used for conducting model tests. Four types of grids, namely strong biaxial geogrid, weak biaxial geogrid, uniaxial geogrid and a geonet, each with different tensile strength, are used in the tests. Geosynthetic reinforcement is provided in the form of planar layers, varying the depth of reinforced zone below the footing, number of geosynthetic layers within the reinforced zone and the width of geosynthetic layers in different tests. Influence of all these parameters on the bearing capacity improvement of square footing and its settlement is studied by comparing with the test on unreinforced sand. Results show that the effective depth of reinforcement is twice the width of the footing and optimum spacing of geosynthetic layers is half the width of the footing. It is observed that the layout and configuration of reinforcement play a vital role in bearing capacity improvement rather than the tensile strength of the geosynthetic material. Experimental observations are supported by the findings from numerical analyses.     

Load-settlement response of shallow square footings on geogrid-reinforced sand under cyclic loading

To study the settlement and dynamic response characteristics of shallow square footings on geogrid-reinforced sand under cyclic loading, 7 sets of large scale laboratory tests are performed on a 0.5?m wide square footing resting on unreinforced and geogrid reinforced sand contained in a 3?m?×?1.6?m?×?2?m (length?×?width?×?height) steel tank. Different reinforcing schemes are considered in the tests: one layer of reinforcement at the depth of 0.3B, 0.6B and 0.9B, where B is the width of the footing; two and three layers of reinforcement at the depth and spacing both at 0.3B. In one of the two double layered reinforcing systems, the reinforcements are wrapped around at the ends. The footings are loaded to 160?kPa under static loading before applying cyclic loading. The cyclic loadings are applied at 40?kPa amplitude increments. Each loading stage lasts for 10?min at the frequency of 2?Hz, or until failure, whichever occurs first. The settlement of the footing, strain in the reinforcement and acceleration rate in the soil have been monitored during the tests. The results showed that the ultimate bearing capacity of the footings was affected by the number and layout of the reinforcements, and the increment of bearing capacity does not always increase with the number of reinforcement layers. The layout of the reinforcement layers affected the failure mechanisms of the footings. Including more layers of reinforcement could greatly reduce the dynamic response of the foundations under cyclic loading. In terms of bearing capacity improvement, including one layer of reinforcement at the depth of 0.6B was the optimum based on the test results. It is found that fracture of geogrid could occur under cyclic loading if the reinforcement is too shallow, i.e. for the cases with the first layer of reinforcement at 0.3B depth.     

Effect of aspect ratio of footing on behavior of two closely-spaced footings on geogrid-reinforced sand

This paper presents the results of laboratory model tests carried out on two closely-spaced interfering footings resting on the surface of geogrid-reinforced and unreinforced sand bed. The effect of aspect ratio (or shape) of the footing on interference behavior is studied by adopting three pairs of model footings of different sizes. The length (L) to width (B) ratio (i.e., aspect ratio) of the footings is varied from 1.0 to 2.0. The effects of single layer of geogrid on footing interference and bearing capacity improvement are investigated. The optimum depth of the geogrid layer for both interfering and isolated footings is found to be one-third of the footing width and it is not dependent on the aspect ratio of the footing. The optimum spacing between the interfering footings is found to be 1.5 times the width of the footing. Lower efficiency factor is observed for interfering footings resting on the reinforced sand compared to the unreinforced sand. Higher bearing capacity ratio (BCR) is observed for isolated footing than that of interfering footings when BCR is measured based on ultimate bearing capacity values of reinforced and unreinforced cases and BCR value increases as the aspect ratio of the footing increases.     

Load eccentricity effects on behavior of circular footings reinforced with geogrid sheets

In this paper,an experimental study for an eccentrically loaded circular footing,resting on a geogrid reinforced sand bed,is performed.To achieve this aim,the steel model footing of 120 mm in diameter and sand in relative density of 60%are used.Also,the effects of depth of first and second geogrid layers and number of reinforcement layers(1-4) on the settlement-load response and tilt of footing under various load eccentricities(0 cm,0.75 cm,1.5 cm,2.25 cm and 3 cm) are investigated.Test results indicate that ultimate bearing capacity increases in comparison with unreinforced condition.It is observed that when the reinforcements are placed in the optimum embedment depth(u/D = 0.42 and h/D = 0.42),the bearing capacity ratio(BCR) increases with increasing load eccentricity to the core boundary of footing,and that with further increase of load eccentricity,the BCR decreases.Besides,the tilt of footing increases linearly with increasing settlement.Finally,by reinforcing the sand bed,the tilt of footing decreases at 2layers of reinforcement and then increases by increasing the number of reinforcement layers.     

Effect of footing shape and load eccentricity on behavior of geosynthetic reinforced sand bed

This paper presents the results from a laboratory modeling tests and numerical studies carried out on circular and square footings assuming the same plan area that rests on geosynthetic reinforced sand bed. The effects of the depth of the first and second layers of reinforcement, number of reinforcement layers on bearing capacity of the footings in central and eccentral loadings are investigated. The results indicated that in unreinforced condition, the ultimate bearing capacity is almost equal for both of the footings; but with reinforcing and increasing the number of reinforcement layers the ultimate bearing capacity of circular footing increased in a higher rate compared to square footing in both central and eccentrial loadings. The beneficial effect of a geosynthetic inclusion is largely dependent on the shape of footings. Also, by increasing the number of reinforcement layers, the tilt of circular footing decreased more than square footing. The SR (settlement reduction) of the reinforced condition shows that settlement at ultimate bearing capacity is heavily dependent on load eccentricity and is not significantly different from that for the unreinforced one. Also, close match between the experimental and numerical load-settlement curves and trend lines shown that the modeling approach utilized in this study can be reasonably adapted for reinforced soil applications.     

An experimental evaluation of the behavior of footings on geosynthetic-reinforced sand

This research was performed to investigate the behavior of geosynthetic-reinforced sandy soil foundations and to study the effect of different parameters contributing to their performance using laboratory model tests. The parameters investigated in this study included top layer spacing, number of reinforcement layers, vertical spacing between layers, tensile modulus and type of geosynthetic reinforcement, embedment depth, and shape of footing. The effect of geosynthetic reinforcement on the vertical stress distribution in the sand and the strain distribution along the reinforcement were also investigated. The test results demonstrated the potential benefit of using geosynthetic-reinforced sand foundations. The test results also showed that the reinforcement configuration/layout has a very significant effect on the behavior of reinforced sand foundation. With two or more layers of reinforcement, the settlement can be reduced by 20% at all footing pressure levels. Sand reinforced by the composite of geogrid and geotextile performed better than those reinforced by geogrid or geotextile alone. The inclusion of reinforcement can redistribute the applied footing load to a more uniform pattern, hence reducing the stress concentration, which will result reduced settlement. Finally, the results of model tests were compared with the analytical solution developed by the authors in previous studies; and the analytical solution gave a good predication of the experimental results of footing on geosynthetic reinforced sand.     

Experimental study on uplift behavior of shallow anchor plates in geogrid-reinforced soil

Geogrid reinforcement can significantly improve the uplift bearing capacity of anchor plates. However, the failure mechanism of anchor plates in reinforced soil and the contribution of geogrids need further investigation. This paper presents an experimental study on the anchor uplift behavior in geogrid-reinforced soil using particle image velocimetry (PIV) and the high-resolution optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR). A series of model tests were performed to identify the relationship between the failure mechanism and various factors, such as anchor embedment ratio, number of geogrid layers, and their location. The test results indicate that soil deformation and the uplift resistance of anchor plates are substantially influenced by anchor embedment ratio and location of geogrids, whereas the number of geogrid layers has limited influence. In reinforced soil, increasing the embedment ratio greatly improves the ultimate bearing capacities of anchor plates and affects the interlock between the soil and geogrids. As the embedment depth increases, the failure surfaces gradually change from a vertical slip surface to a bulb-shaped surface that is limited within the soil. The strain monitoring data shows that the deformations of geogrids are symmetrical, and the peak strains of geogrids can characterize the reinforcing effects.     

Prediction of bearing capacity of circular footings on soft clay stabilized with granular soil

The shortage of available and suitable construction sites in city centres has led to the increased use of problematic areas, where the bearing capacity of the underlying deposits is very low. The reinforcement of these problematic soils with granular fill layers is one of the soil improvement techniques that are widely used. Problematic soil behaviour can be improved by totally or partially replacing the inadequate soils with layers of compacted granular fill. The study presented herein describes the use of artificial neural networks (ANNs), and the multi-linear regression model (MLR) to predict the bearing capacity of circular shallow footings supported by layers of compacted granular fill over natural clay soil. The data used in running the network models have been obtained from an extensive series of field tests, including large-scale footing diameters. The field tests were performed using seven different footing diameters, up to 0.90 m, and three different granular fill layer thicknesses. The results indicate that the use of granular fill layers over natural clay soil has a considerable effect on the bearing capacity characteristics and that the ANN model serves as a simple and reliable tool for predicting the bearing capacity of circular footings in stabilized natural clay soil.     

Finite element limit analysis of load-bearing performance of reinforced slopes using a non-associated flow rule

This paper presents a numerical study on the load-bearing performance of reinforced slopes under footing load using a finite element limit analysis (FELA) method where a non-associated flow rule is assumed in the analysis. The method was validated against results from full-scale model tests and a limit equilibrium (LE) analytical method. A series of parametric analyses was subsequently carried out to examine the influences that the soil dilation angle, footing location, and reinforcement design (i.e. length, tensile strength, and vertical spacing) could have on the load-bearing performance of reinforced slopes. Results indicate that dilation angle has a significant influence on the predicted magnitudes of bearing capacity, slope deformation, and mobilized reinforcement load. The predicted values of bearing capacity using the FELA are smaller than those from the Meyerhof's analytical method for unreinforced semi-infinite foundation, especially for larger friction angle values. Additionally, the ultimate bearing capacity of the slope and its corresponding horizontal deformation increase with the reinforcement tensile strength. Finally, the slip planes under the applied footing load are found to be y-shaped and primarily occur in the upper half of the slope.     

Effects of restraining conditions on the bearing capacity of footings near slopes

In evaluating the ultimate bearing capacity (q_u) of a strip footing adjacent to a slope, conventional correction formulas for the effect of load eccentricity may not be applicable because these formulas were developed exclusively for footings situated on horizontal grounds, where loads eccentric to opposite sides of the footing yield identical results for q_u. In this study, loading tests and analyses are conducted on a strip footing placed adjacent to a model slope with various slope angles. The experimental evidence shows that a load eccentric toward the heel of a footing leads to an increase in bearing capacity, whereas the analytical results based on conventional formulas show the opposite trend. To address this discrepancy, an approach is proposed that uses a bearing capacity correction formula for a footing with a setback from the crest of the slope. Results of a comparative study show that the experimental values for bearing capacity factor N_γ(test), with full corrections for load inclination, load eccentricity, and footing setback are comparable to the theoretical solutions. Furthermore, fully corrected values for N_γ(test) for the fixed footing approximately follow the line of the upper boundary; those for the free-rotating footing follow the lower boundary of the theoretical solutions reported in the literature. This discrepancy is due to the different failure mechanisms induced by the restraining conditions of the footing which have yet to be considered in engineering practice.     

Full-scale mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls under strip footing load

This study analyses two full-scale model tests on mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls. One test was conducted with a rigid and one with a flexible wall face. Other parameters were the same in these two tests, like the number and type of geogrid layers, the vertical distance between the layers and the soil type. The loads and strains on the reinforcement are measured as function of the horizontal and vertical earth pressure and compared with analytical models. Specifics regarding the behavior of the geogrids under the compaction load during the construction of the model and under strip footing load are included in the study. Results are compared with AASHTO and the empirical K-stiffness method. In this study, an analytical method is developed for the MSE walls taking into account the facing panel rigidity both after backfill construction and after strip footing load. There is good agreement between the proposed analytical method and the experimental results considering the facing panel rigidity. The results indicate that the tensile force on reinforcement layers for rigid facing is less than the flexible facing. The maximum strains in the reinforcement layers occurred in the upper layers right below the strip footing load. The maximum wall deflection for the flexible facing is more than for the rigid facing. The maximum deflection was at the top of the wall for the rigid facing and occurred at z/H?=?0.81 from top of the wall for the flexible facing.     

Investigating the effect of geogrid on stabilization of high railway embankments

This paper investigates the effect of geogrid on controlling the stability and settlement of high railway embankments using laboratory testing and finite element modeling. To do this, five series of embankments with 50?cm height were constructed, at a scale of 1:20 and then were uniformly loaded on the crest in a loading chamber in dimensions of 240?×?235?×?220?cm. In this regard, the embankments of the first series were constructed without geogrid reinforcing layers. Following to preliminary numerical simulations for determining the appropriate level of geogrid layers installation, the second to fifth series of embankments were constructed. These embankments were reinforced with one to four layers of geogrid respectively and finally, the results of their load in terms of settlements were compared. In these studies, the reinforced embankments with a single geogrid layer had 7.14% raise in bearing capacity and 11.24% reduction in settlement respectively, in comparison with the unreinforced embankment. The obtained results for the third to fifth series of embankments were respectively in order of (19, 36.14), (26.3, 52.8) and (28.9, 53.42)%. In the next stage, by modeling the embankments in the PLAXIS 2D software, the results were validated by the values obtained through laboratory models. In continuation of the study, real embankments with heights of 5, 10, 15, and 20?m were simulated and placed under LM71 loading pattern (Eurocode, 2003). In this respect, the impact of important effective parameters such as number of geogrid layer, soil characteristics, embankment dimensions, interface coefficient between soil and geogrid and tensile strength of geogrid on bearing capacity and settlement have been studied. The numerical results like the experimental ones, confirmed the increase in bearing capacity and settlement diminishing with definite increase in the geogrid layers, so that more geogrid layers do not affect these parameters. With respect to improving the soil characteristics and reducing the height of embankments, the FEM models showed decreasing effect of geogrid tensile strength on embankment crest settlement. On the other side, the value of geogrid-soil interface coefficient has minor effect on both settlement and sliding safety factor.     

Physical and numerical modelling of strip footing on geogrid reinforced transparent sand

This paper presents the results of laboratory scale plate load tests on transparent soils reinforced with biaxial polypropylene geogrids. The influence of reinforcement length and number of reinforcement layers on the load-settlement response of the reinforced soil foundation was assessed by varying the reinforcement length and the number of geogrid layers, each spaced at 25% of footing width. The deformations of the reinforcement layers and soil under strip loading were examined with the aid of laser transmitters (to illuminate the geogrid reinforcement) and digital camera. A two-dimensional finite difference program was used to study the fracture of geogrid under strip loading considering the geometry of the model tests. The bearing capacity and stiffness of the reinforced soil foundation has increased with the increase in the reinforcement length and number of reinforcement layers, but the increase is more prominent by increasing number of reinforcement layers. The results from the physical and numerical modelling on reinforced soil foundation reveal that fracture of geogrid could initiate in the bottom layer of reinforcement and progress to subsequent upper layers. The displacement and stress contours along with the mobilized tensile force distribution obtained from the numerical simulations have complimented the observations made from the experiments.     

Visualisation and quantification of geogrid reinforcing effects under strip footing loads using discrete element method

Geogrids have been commonly used in reinforced soil structures to improve their performance. To investigate the geogrid reinforcement mechanisms, discrete element modelling of unreinforced and geogrid reinforced soil foundations and slopes was conducted under surface strip footing loads in this study. For unreinforced and reinforced soil foundations, the numerically obtained footing pressure-settlement relationships were validated by experimental results from the literature. In the numerical modelling of unreinforced and reinforced soil slopes, identical models and micro input parameters to those used in the numerical modelling of unreinforced and reinforced soil foundations were used. The geogrid reinforcing effects under strip footing loads were visualised by the qualitative contact force distributions in the soil structures, as well as the qualitative and quantitative tensile force distributions along the geogrids. In addition, the qualitative displacement distributions of soil particles in the soil structures and the quantitative vertical displacement distributions along soil layers/geogrids also indicated the geogrid reinforcing effects in such practical reinforced soil structures. The discrete element modelling results visualise and quantify the load transfer and spreading behavior in geogrid reinforced soil structures, and it provides researchers with an improved understanding of geogrid reinforcing effects at microscopic scale under strip footing loads.     

加筋边坡在坡顶荷载作用下的极限承载能力

采用大型室内试验的方法,研究了两个土工格栅加固的土坡和一个未加固边坡在坡顶荷载作用下的变形与破坏规律。本文重点介绍大型模型的实验设计、测试技术和研究方法。实验结果表明,土工格栅加固边坡的承载能力为相同条件下未加固边坡的1.6-2倍。     

Laboratory model studies on unreinforced and geogrid-reinforced sand bed over stone column-improved soft clay

Results from a series of laboratory model tests on unreinforced and geogrid-reinforced sand bed resting on stone column-improved soft clay have been presented. The diameter of stone column and footing has been taken as 50 mm and 100 mm, respectively for all the model tests carried out. Load was applied to the soil bed through the footing until the total settlement reached at least 20% of footing diameter. As compared to unimproved soft clay, the increase in load-carrying capacity under different improved ground conditions has been observed. Influences of the thickness of unreinforced as well as geogrid-reinforced sand bed and the size of geogrid reinforcement on the performance of stone column-improved soft clay bed have also been investigated. Significant improvement in load-carrying capacity of soft soil is observed due to the placement of sand bed over stone column-improved soft clay. The inclusion of geogrid layer within sand bed further increases the load-carrying capacity and decreases the settlement of the soil. Due to the placement of sand bed, the bulge diameter of stone column reduces while the depth of bulge increases. Further reduction in the bulge diameter and increase in bulge depth are observed due to application of geogrid layer. The optimum thickness of unreinforced sand bed is twice the optimum thickness of geogrid-reinforced sand bed. Under specific material properties and test conditions, it is further observed that the optimum diameter of geogrid layer is thrice the diameter of footing.     

Behavior of strip footing on fiber-reinforced cemented sand adjacent to sheet pile wall

In urban areas, shallow foundations are often placed along the ground surface above a sheet pile wall. In this research, the potential benefits of reinforcing the active zone behind a model sheet pile wall by using polypropylene fiber and cement kiln dust have been investigated experimentally and numerically. Tests were conducted by varying parameters including fiber ratio (R_F), cement kiln dust (CKD) ratio, thickness of reinforced layer, footing location relative to the sheet pile wall and curing time of reinforced layer. Finite element computer code PLAXIS 2D foundation was used for numerical modeling. Close agreement between the experimental and numerical results was observed (maximum difference 14%). Experimental and numerical results clearly show that fiber insertion into the cemented soil causes an increase in ultimate bearing capacity of footing and significant reduction in the lateral deflection of the sheet pile wall. At higher fiber ratios (R_F ≥ 0.75%), the bearing capacity ratio (BCR) increased by about 42% and the effect of CKD ratio on BCR is more pronounced. The addition of fibers changed the brittle behavior of cemented sand to a more ductile one. Critical values of reinforcing parameters for maximum reinforcing effects are established.     

条形荷载作用下加筋土边坡稳定性分析

建立了用于模拟和分析3个大型室内足尺加筋与不加筋边坡稳定性的数值计算模型。数值计算采用基于强度折减技术的连续介质快速拉格朗日分析方法,分别对条形荷载下的位移响应、节点位移速度向量、塑性区和剪应变速率分布进行计算,获得3个边坡在条形荷载下的极限承载力和双楔体破坏机制,计算结果与试验结果吻合较好,验证了模型的可行性。在此基础上,对影响边坡稳定性的各主要因素进行分析。研究结果表明,经过格栅加固的边坡承载能力和稳定性明显提高,且随加筋层数、格栅刚度和强度的增加而增大;条形荷载越大或荷载位置离坡顶越近,边坡的稳定性越低;土体强度增大,边坡的稳定性明显增加,但土体摩擦角对安全系数的影响比黏聚力更为敏感;此外,顶层筋材埋深与条基荷载宽度比值大小与边坡的安全性密切相关,其最佳比值随加筋层数不同而改变。     

Analytical modeling of geogrid reinforced soil foundation

This paper aims at developing analytical solutions for estimating the ultimate bearing capacity of geogrid reinforced soil foundations (RSF) for both sand and silty clay soils. Failure mechanisms for reinforced soil foundations are proposed based on the literature review and the results of experimental study on model footing tests conducted by the authors. New bearing capacity formulas that incorporate the contribution of reinforcements to the increase in bearing capacity are then developed for both reinforced sand and silty clay soil foundations based on the proposed failure mechanisms. The predicted bearing capacity values are compared with the results of laboratory model tests on reinforced sand and silty clay soil. The proposed analytical solutions were also verified by the results of large-scale model tests conducted by the authors for reinforced silty clay and the data reported in the literature. The predicted bearing capacity values from analytical solutions are in good agreement with the test results.