Experimental analysis of bearing capacity of geotextile reinforced loose soils under square foundation

Various applications are used all over the world to increase the bearing capacity of loose soils by adding materials into the soil in order to make soils safer. In this study, bearing capacity of geotextile reinforced loose soil under a square cross-sectional foundation was determined by small size model experiments in the laboratory using geotextile at different depths, size and layers. All experiments were carried out in a 75x75x100 cm square section sand tank at the Geotechnical Laboratory of Fırat University Civil Engineering Department. In all experiments, loading was made with a 12x12 cm square foundation placed on the sand soil prepared which has the same 10% relative density. Bearing capacity and foundation settlements were measured in those experiments. In the light of the experimental data the graphs of the settlement-bearing capacity, settlement-time and bearing capacity-time graphs of these experiments were obtained. The bearing capacities of 28 experiments in the laboratory were modeled in Plaxis 3D program. In addition, the experimentally settlement values were compared with numerically obtained settlement values. The values of bearing capacity that were obtained from laboratory experiments were formulated as a result of calculations by using multivariate statistical analysis. In laboratory model experiments, bearing capacity of soil increased when the geotextile reinforcement size, numbers and proximity to the foundation increase.