Laboratory tests on geotextile reinforced dune sand

Abstract EN

Laboratory triaxial compression tests were performed to determine the stress-Strain response of sand reinforced with fabric, and to observe the influence of various inclusion properties and soil properties on the constitutive behavior of fabric reinforced sand.

Uniaxial compression tests were also run on encapsulated sand specimens to examine the effect of external fabric encapsulation on constitutive behavior of internally reinforced granular materials.

Fabric inclusions markedly increased the ultimate strength, increased the axial strain at failure, and caused limited reductions in post-peak shearing resistance.

At very low strain (<1%) fabric reinforcement produced a loss of stiffness with the effect being more pronounced the greater the number of layers and the stiffer the reinforcement.

Reinforcements placed at a spacing:diameter ratio of more than one had little effect on strength.

Fabric inclusions increased the ultimate compressive strength of encapsulated sand.

The overall stiffness of an encapsulated/internally reinforced sand can be controlled to a large extent by the modulus of the encapsulating fabric, and the number of layers and modulus of internal reinforcing fabric