Studies on effects of prestressing the reinforcement on the behaviour of reinforced granular beds overlying weak soil

The effects of prestressing the reinforcement on the strength improvement and settlement reduction of a reinforced granular bed overlying weak soil are being investigated through a series of laboratory scale bearing capacity tests. The influences of parameters such as strength of underlying weak soil, thickness of granular bed, magnitude of prestressing force, direction of prestressing forces and number of layers of reinforcement are being examined. Finite element analyses are carried out using the FE program PLAXIS to study the effect of prestressing the reinforcement. Results obtained from finite element analyses are found to be in reasonably good agreement with the experimental results. A numerical model based on punching shear failure mechanism is envisaged. The Bearing Capacity Ratio (BCR) values predicted by the model are found to be in good agreement with the experimentally obtained BCR values.