BEHAVIOR OF REINFORCED SAND SLOPE WITH A SOFT POCKET– EXPERIMENTAL AND NUMERICAL STUDY

Abstract

Soft pockets under the ground within the failure zone of the footing can ultimately pose
substantial engineering problems including instability of the foundation, besides great super structural
damage. Consequently, this paper aims to investigate the ultimate bearing capacity and the failure
mechanism of a strip footing, loaded vertically on an un-reinforced and reinforced sand slope above a
soft pocket. PLAXIS 3D Program was used to perform a series of finite element analyses on loaded
strip footing, close to a sand slope with a soft pocket and the findings were investigated in detail,
providing an analysis of the critical location of the soft pocket. The parameters affecting are the depth
of the soft pocket below the strip footing, the setback distance between the slope crest and the footing,
the relative density, and the number of reinforcement layers below the footing, which were all
investigated. As indicated through the tests' findings, a soft pocket existing under the footing has a
great impact on the stress and settlement of the footing. Moreover, the reinforcement layers included in
the sand were the reason for not only a significant increase in the stability of the sandy slope but also
for minimizing the settlement. Furthermore, the properties of the location of the footing relative to the
slope crest and the depth of the soft pocket below the footing are the factors the efficiency of sandgeogrid
depends on. Variations of the stress settlement with different parameters are provided and
discussed based on the outcomes of the tests.