The College of Engineering at the University of Baghdad hosted the public defense of Master’s student Yamam Jabbar Trad from the Civil Engineering Department for his thesis titled “Experimental Study on the Effect of Geotextile Layers and Configuration on Bearing Capacity of Square Footing on Gypseous Soils.” The defense took place on September 12, 2024, in Dr. Khalid Shaker Hall in the Civil Engineering Department, under the supervision of Assistant Professor Dr. Alaa Dawood Salman Almurshedi.
This study aimed to investigate the impact of geotextiles on improving the bearing capacity and reducing settlement of shallow foundations placed on gypsum soils. Several factors were examined, including top layer spacing, geotextile layer width, vertical spacing between geotextile layers, number of geotextile layers, and the use of geotextile layers with wraparound ends. The study involved conducting 36 tests to analyze the behavior of reinforced soil foundations, with the foundation being a 10mm thick steel plate measuring 100mm x 100mm. The geotextile layer depth was varied (0.2B, 0.4B, 0.8B, B), where B is the width of the foundation, with one, two, and three layers of reinforcement being tested.
The experimental results showed that reinforcing soil with geotextiles can significantly increase the bearing capacity and reduce settlement in gypsum soils. It was found that the best depth for placing geotextiles was between (0.8B and B). The results also indicated that using three layers of geotextile provided the most favorable outcomes. Additionally, the configuration of the reinforcement had a substantial impact on the foundation’s behavior, with geotextile layers featuring wraparound ends demonstrating an increase in bearing capacity for gypseous soils.
The study concluded with several recommendations, including further investigation of bearing capacity for foundations on other soil types and the use of different geotextile materials. It also suggested exploring various types of foundations, studying the impact of reinforcing soil under footings embedded in the ground, and analyzing how moisture content in the soil affects the performance of reinforced soil foundations. Future research was recommended to study the dynamic load effects on reinforced soils and compare the results with the static loads used in this study, as well as to investigate the impact of geotextile reinforcement configurations on the bearing capacity through laboratory tests and numerical simulations of fully wrapped geotextile ends.
After a scientific discussion by the esteemed members of the examination committee, and following the researcher’s defense, Yamam Jabbar Trad was awarded a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering with a specialization in Geotechnical Engineering.
