Load behaviour of model strip footings on reinforced transparent soils

A number of loading tests were performed in the laboratory on strip footings resting on unreinforced and geotextile reinforced transparent soils. Fused silica sand and white oil were used to manufacture the transparent soils. Reinforcement layers with different lengths were placed at a vertical spacing of 0.25B and 0.5B, with reinforcing depths varying from 0.5B to 2B (B is the width of the strip footing), and reinforcing widths ranging from 1B to 7B. The deformation of the reinforcement layers and soil was monitored using digital cameras with the aid of a laser transmitter to highlight the deformation of the reinforcement layers. Two peaks were observed in the load-settlement curves of some footings on soils with reinforcements at 0.5B spacing. The deformation of the reinforcement layers showed that each peak point is related to the failure of one layer of reinforcement, indicating the progressive development of reinforcement failure into deeper layers. Most of the footings on soils with reinforcement layers at 0.25B spacing showed brittle failure behavior, which was due to the near-simultaneous rupture of the reinforcement layers. It was also found that longer reinforcement does not always provide greater bearing capacity at certain reinforcement spacings.