SHALLOW FOUNDATION ON SAND UNDERLAIN BY SOFT CLAY WITH GEOTEXTILE INTERFACE

One technique for improving the load-bearing capacity of shallow foundations on soft clay soil is to construct them over a compact granular fill laid over the clay layer. However, the load-bearing capacity can be further increased by placing a geotextile at the interface of the clay layer and the granular fill. A number of model test results relating to the ultimate bearing capacity of a strip foundation on a compact granular fill material (sand) underlain by a soft clay layer with and without the inclusion of a geotextile at the interface have been presented, and the beneficial effects of the geotextile have been determined.