| Abstrakt: |
A wide variety of factors can influence the bearing capacity (BC) and the settlement of foundations constructed in weak soils; therefore, a number of solutions have been thus far proposed to improve these characteristics. In this study, weak soil was replaced with a granular trench, reinforced with geogrids, as well as a reinforced granular pad, to examine the load-settlement behavior of a strip foundation. A series of laboratory tests and finite element (FE) models were further conducted to propose the optimal parameter value in order to achieve the maximum BC ratio (BCR) of the reinforced soil. Investigations carried out by varying important parameters, including number of geogrid elements, placement depth, and effective trench depth, accordingly showed significant impacts on the BC. These studies were also extended to numerical modeling tests in order to determine the ultimate BCR of a strip foundation supported by a geogrid-reinforced granular trench subjected to eccentric-inclined loads. Based on the physical modeling, the BC of a strip foundation could be significantly improved by replacing sand with granular materials up to three times. Moreover, placing one, two, and three geogrids in the trench indicated a rise in the BCR. Experimental results also demonstrated that the optimal width and depth of the trench to achieve the maximum BCR were 1.5 and 3.5 times the width of the foundation, respectively, and the optimal placement depth for one geogrid layer was observed. Considering the numerical results, a slight decrease in the BCR could follow a drop in it up to 20° in the inclined loads on the foundation laid on the trench with one geogrid layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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