Effect of reinforcement form on the behaviour of coir geotextile reinforced sand beds

Coir geotextile, a natural geotextile manufactured out of coir fibres, has been recognized as a feasible alternative to geosynthetics for reinforcement applications, due to its longevity and excellent engineering properties. It is best suited for low-cost applications in developing countries due to its availability at low prices compared to its synthetic counterparts. This paper presents the results of plate load test on square model footing resting on sand beds reinforced with coir geotextile in geocell and planar forms. Keeping the characteristics and amount of geotextile the same, the performance of the geocell and planar forms were compared. The results indicate that bearing characteristics clearly depend on the form in which reinforcements are applied. For the same amount of material, coir geocell reinforcement provides better performance compared to planar forms. For a settlement of 15% of foundation width, the maximum improvement in bearing capacity for coir geocell was found to be 7.92 compared to 5.83 in the case of planar forms.