LOAD SETTLEMENT BEHAVIOUR OF CIRCULAR FOOTING ON SAND REINFORCED WITH COIR GEOCELL l

Abstract

Coir geotextile is a natural form of geotextile which has been manufactured from the coir fibers and it has emerged as a very feasible and better alternative to the geosynthetics which were used earlier for the reinforcement practices and applications. This is due to its excellent properties, longevity and economical prospect. It is available at low prices in many developing countries and hence is used in low cost applications. This research work presents the results of plate load test carried out on a circular footing resting on sand reinforced with coir geotextile in its planar and geocell form. This work also aims at exploring the benefits and the outcomes of using coir geotextile as a reinforcement material for shallow foundations and thereby increasing the capacity of the sand. Geocells were made from the coir geotextile so that an extra confinement can be provided to the soil. The amount and characteristics of geotextile and geocells were kept same and a comparison has been drawn between them according to their performance. The placement depth, number of layers, etc. were varied and the results indicated that the bearing characteristics depend upon the type of reinforcement provided. For the equal amount of both the materials, geocells proved to be a way better than its planar form of reinforcement. The improvement factor for geocell reinforcement came to be 2.95 compared to 1.99 in the case of planar reinforcement.