A Comparative Experimental Study of Circular Footings on Sand Reinforced with Geogrid and Loosely Skirted Foundations under Eccentric Loading
Received: 3 June 2025 | Revised: 7 July 2025 and 20 July 2025 | Accepted: 23 July 2025 | Online: 6 October 2025
Corresponding author: Bushra S. Albusoda
Abstract
This study conducts a comparative experimental analysis of two soil improvement methods—geogrid reinforcement and skirted foundations—used beneath circular footings on loose sandy soils. While both techniques are well documented, their combined assessment is limited in the existing literature. In this study, sixty-four small-scale physical model tests were conducted in which footings were subjected to concentric and eccentric vertical loads. The results demonstrated that both improvement methods significantly enhance the foundation performance. Loosely cylindrical skirted foundations increase the bearing capacity by confining the soil and reducing the lateral movement; however, geogrid reinforcement performs better. The optimal spacing for geogrid layers (h) was 0.4 times the footing diameter, the ideal configuration for loosely cylindrical skirted foundations was a diameter (DS) equal to 1.4D, and a length (LS) equal to 1.5D. Although smaller skirts are less affected by eccentric loading, they did not show any significant improvement in performance. It was also found that the eccentric loads affect the loosely skirted foundations less than the geogrid reinforcement. Still, the latter generally performs better than the loosely skirted foundations in increasing the load-bearing capacity of the circular footings on sandy soil. The results are significant for the design of towers, heavy infrastructure foundations, and other constructions where the increased load-bearing capacity and reduced settlement are essential.
Keywords:
loosely skirted, circular foundation, geogrid, sandy soilDownloads
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Copyright (c) 2025 Rawaa Rafea Khudhair, Bushra S. Albusoda
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