Investigating the Effects of Geogrid Aperture Shapes on Load-Deformation Behavior and Crack Propagation in Plain Concrete Footings

Geogrid reinforcement is a widely used technique for improving the mechanical properties of infrastructure engineering structures. However, there is limited understanding of the behavior of geogrid with different aperture shapes when used as reinforcement in plain concrete footings. This paper presents a comprehensive study that investigates the effects of five different aperture shapes of geogrid reinforcement on the load-deformation behavior and crack propagation of plain concrete footings. The study also aims to provide a basis for future research on the use of geogrid as reinforcement in thin concrete overlays. The five geogrid products used in this study were characterized based on their index material properties, and were used in combination with fiber glass reinforced concrete (FGRC) and normal concrete mixes. The experiments were conducted on both unreinforced footings and footings reinforced with one layer of geogrid. A distributed static load was applied to simulate the stress of reinforced footings. The experimental results indicate that the strength resistance of the geogrid reinforced footings is significantly improved compared to the unreinforced footings. The use of glass fibers and geogrid confinement in the footing designs were found to have a significant impact on improving the load-deformation behavior and crack propagation. Furthermore, the study reveals that the strength and dimensions of the geogrid reinforcement play a crucial role in determining the behavior of the plain concrete footings. Also, the Comparison between cast and load capacity of all samples was presented.