Bearing Capacity of a Geotextile-Reinforced Unpaved Road as a Function of Deformation: A Model Study

An experimental investigation has been carried out to study the bearing capacity of a geotextile-reinforced unpaved road as a function of its deformation. A number of model footing tests were performed on compacted granular fill overlying an artificially sedimented kaolinite layer. The test bed was instrumented to determine the vertical stresses at the fill-subgrade interface. The test results were used to estimate the bearing capacity factors of the foundation as a function of footing deformation. A load transfer mechanism has been proposed to explain the improvement in bearing capacity of the geotextile-reinforced soil models.