Strip Foundation On Sand Underlain By Soft Clay With Geogrid Reinforcement

The ultimate bearing capacity of shallow foundations supported by soft clay is too low. The bearing capacity of the foundation can be increased by placing a dense sand layer of limited thickness over the soft clay. This paper presents some laboratory model test results to evaluate the improvement of the ultimate bearing capacity of shallow strip foundation supported by a strong sand layer underlain by a weak clay with a layer of geogrid at the sand-clay interface. Based on the model test results, the optimum thickness of the sand layer and the width of the layer of geogrid for maximum benefit have been evaluated.