Abstract

JONES, B R; JACOBSZ, S W  and  VAN ROOY, J L. A qualitative model study on the effect of geosynthetic foundation reinforcement in sand overlying very soft clay. J. S. Afr. Inst. Civ. Eng. [online]. 2016, vol.58, n.2, pp.25-34. ISSN 2309-8775.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2309-8775/2016/v58n2a3.

A centrifuge model study was carried out investigating the effects of the inclusion of geogrid reinforcement in a sand layer constructed over a thin, very soft clay layer to facilitate the construction of warehouse floors supporting product stockpiles. The use of geogrid reinforcement allowed larger surcharge loads to be applied for a given amount of settlement by allowing load to be spread over the footprint area of the geogrid due to the tension membrane effect and its associated benefits. A lower-bound calculation of the load at which the tensile reinforcement starts to function is presented. Upper-bound solutions were found to overestimate allowable surcharge loads, as they are associated with unacceptable deformations. The reinforcing effect of the geogrid was found to have been fully mobilised at 5% vertical compression of the clay layer.

Keywords : centrifuge modelling; soft clay; geogrid; reinforced sand.

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