Comprehensive study of influence of reinforcement on bearing capacity of sand bed

The technique of 'Reinforced Earth' was first conceived by Henry Vidal in 1966. It is considered as an economical and effective solution in the construction industry. The simple mechanism, economy in cost and time of construction of reinforced earth has made it an instant success. The technique has paved the new way for field engineers in construction of temporary as well as permanent structures. Further, with the advent of new reinforcing materials such as metallic and non-metallic, there has been increasing usage and various applications in the field of Civil Engineering. In this paper an attempt was made to investigate the effectiveness of three different types of reinforcing materials viz., steel bars, mild steel welded mesh and geotextile. These reinforcing materials exhibit the varying properties with respect to their breaking strength. The principal aim is to study the effect of performance of these reinforcing materials in the sand bed. Further, the characteristics reinforced sand bed was studied with respect to improvement in bearing capacity for the purpose of foundation construction. A model study was undertaken with a steel tank having width five times the width of the footing. The dimensions of steel tank were so chosen for avoiding any type of boundary effect caused by the walls of steel tank. This experimental study could offer a probable solution for enhancement of bearing capacity of sand bed with number of reinforcement and its influence with respect to the depth laid below footings. The results have shown adequate improvement in bearing capacity of reinforced sand bed. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.