Comparison of Behaviour of Sand and Clay with Woven and Non- Woven Geotextile – A Numerical Study

Abstract

Soils are strong in compression but weak in tension. This weak property of soil is improved by introducing reinforcing elements in the direction of tensile stress. Geosynthetics are man-made products manufactured from synthetic polymeric materials and sometimes from natural materials. Due to good tensile strength, geotextiles can increase bearing capacity of soil and will reduce excessive settlement. This paper investigates the effect of woven and non-woven geotextiles on sand and clay by numerically modelling in Plaxis 2D. Analysis is conducted for the cases, (i) Drained (ii) Undrained (iii) Partially drained conditions. The characteristics considered in the present analysis are (a) California Bearing Ratio, and (b) Bearing capacity ratio values. The results show that the characteristics of soil increased with the addition of geotextiles.

Keywords: Plaxis 2D, California Bearing Ratio, Bearing capacity ratio