Analysis of soil-reinforcement interaction in reinforced soil beds

A reinforced soil bed is a composite material composed of stiffer materials called ‘reinforcement’ embedded in the soil bed. Reinforcement inclusion in a soil bed results in a significant improvement in the bearing capacity and in reduced settlement. As a result, soil reinforced with strips, fabrics, sheets, grids and cells has become commonplace. Research is being carried out worldwide to study the effect of reinforcing elements in soil beds. The current paper describes an attempt to understand the soil-reinforcement interaction in soil beds that carry footing. The aim of the present study is to understand the changes brought about by the inclusion of reinforcement inside the soil system in terms of altered stresses and displacements at different increments of loading. The investigation uses the finite-element technique for the analysis and consists of a study of: (a) nodal displacement vectors, (b) deformed meshes and (c) failure initiation and progression. Based on the results of the above analysis, an attempt is made to understand clearly how the stiffer reinforcement enhances the load-carrying capacity, restricting the settlement. Results of the analysis are presented by means of illustrations between unreinforced soil beds and reinforced soil beds.