THE MEMBRANE EFFECT OF GEOGRIDS REINFORCED SOFT SOIL FOUNDATION

This paper proposed a membrane model simulating geogrids under symmetrical load and introduced it into the finite element increment method. By the analysis of calculated data, the effect of geogrids on the stress dispersion in the soft soil foundation and the membrane effect of the boundary constraints are expounded. Valuable explorations to the mechanism through which the bearing capacity of soft soil was increased by geogrids were performed.