Prediction Model for Estimating the Immediate Settlement of Foundations Placed on Reinforced Soil

A reinforced soil foundation (RSF) consists of closely-spaced layers of geosynthetic reinforcement and compacted granular fill material used to support bridge piers and abutments. The RSF approach is a fast and economical alternative to traditional shallow foundations. This paper presents a prediction model for estimating settlement of a footing placed on an RSF under service loads. The parameters that are considered in the prediction model include footing geometry (width and length), soil friction angle and cohesion, reinforcement characteristics (stiffness, spacing, and length), and applied static loads from 50 to 600 kPa. In order to develop this prediction model, a parametric study was conducted using a validated finite difference numerical model. The results of the parametric study were used to conduct a regression analysis to derive a prediction model for estimating the maximum settlement of foundation placed on reinforced soil. Such a prediction model will be useful for practitioners in preliminary RSF design.