Bearing ratio behaviour of sisal geotextile reinforced fly ash overlying clay

Abstract

The paper examines the bearing ratio behaviour of sisal geotextile reinforced fly ash over clay. It also evaluates the effects of alkali treatment and emulsion coating of the geotextile on the bearing ratio at optimal placement depths. Results show that using one, two, and three layers of untreated geotextile increased the CBR by 19.6%, 55%, and 78% at different placement depths (1.5B, 1B, and 0.5B), where B is the plunger diameter. Alkali-treated and emulsion-coated geotextiles increased the CBR by 24.6% and 15.6%, respectively. However, soaking reduced the CBR by 76.6%, with the greatest decrease observed in triple-reinforced alkali-treated samples. Punching tests and morphological analyses supported the study outcomes. A numerical study of a pavement section, based on the experimental results, recommends sisal geotextile for rural roads using load equivalency factors and the structural number approach. © 2025 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.