Large-scale model footing tests on geogrid-reinforced foundation and marginal embankment soils

This paper aims at investigating the behavior of foundations on geogrid-reinforced silty clay marginal embankment soil. For this purpose, a total of six large-scale field tests were conducted using a reinforced concrete model footing with dimensions of 457 mm by 457 mm. The parameters investigated in this study included the number of reinforcement layers, the vertical spacing between layers, and the tensile modulus of reinforcement. The effect of reinforcement on the vertical stress distribution in the soil and the strain distribution along the reinforcement were also investigated. The test results showed that the inclusion of geogrid reinforcements results in increasing the soil's bearing capacity and reducing the footing settlement. The reinforcement benefits improve with the increase in number and tensile modulus of geogrids and with the decrease in layers' spacing. The inclusion of reinforcements helps in redistributing the applied load to a wider area. The test results also showed that the developed strain along the geogrids is directly related to the footing settlement.