Enhancing Flexural Performance of GFRC Square Foundation Footings through Uniaxial Geogrid Reinforcement

Abstract

This study investigates how the flexural characteristics of square foundation footings, strengthened with glass fiber reinforced concrete (GFRC), are influenced by uniaxial geogrids. The research involves tests on five reinforced concrete square footings under square loading until failure. Variables include geogrid layer count and longitudinal reinforcement proportion. The analysis covers factors like different stage loads, deflection, energy absorption, ductility, and crack patterns. Results indicate that adding geogrid layers with GFRC significantly improves footing flexural performance and fracture mechanism. More geogrid layers lead to notable load increases at each stage. The data also reveals that geogrid reinforced GFRC footings surpass those reinforced with steel and standard concrete mixes in strength resistance. Moreover, a simplified empirical equation correlates footing moment directly to geogrid tensile strength, offering efficient predictive accuracy for their relationship. This research emphasizes uniaxial geogrids' benefits in reinforcing GFRC footings, enhancing flexural performance, and offering valuable insights for earth structure design and construction.