Numerical analysis of square footing on unreinforced and geogrid-reinforced sand bed

A group of finite-element analyses was carried out to investigate into the ultimate bearing capacity of the square footing on sand with and without geogrid reinforcement.Simulations were conducted with dimensions of 12126 m to construct 3D media. The parameters investigated are the effect of the depth of single layer of geogrid, number ofgeogrid layers within the reinforced zone and type of reinforcements. Influence of all these parameters on the bearing capacity improvement of square footing and its settlement is studied by comparing with the simulations on unreinforced sand. The resultsproved that the reinforcements had a considerable effect on the ultimate bearing capacity of the square footing on a sand bed. Based on the finite-element analyses, optimum values of the geogrid parameters for maximum reinforcing effect are discussed and suggested