Bearing Capacity of Strip Footing on Sand Slopes Reinforced with Geotextile and Soil Nails

This paper presents the results of laboratory model tests on the behavior of a strip footing supported by a single geotextile layer and by a row of soil nails in a sandy slope. A comparison between bearing capacity improvements in the two cases were made and analyzed. Parameters varied include depth of the reinforcing layer, edge distance of the footing, location of soil nail row, and location of the footing relative to the slope crest. Bearing capacity of non-stabilized cases were initially determined and then compared with those of stabilized slopes. Results indicate that stabilized earth slope using a single geotextile layer or a row of soil nails significantly improves bearing capacity of strip footing. This improvement in bearing capacity increases as soil nail spacing decreases. Overall improvement is significantly better when using a single geotextile layer to stabilize earth slope than using a row of soil nails.