Laboratory tests to evaluate effectiveness of wicking geotextile in soil moisture reduction

A new type of woven geotextile, referred to as wicking geotextile, was developed and introduced to the market. Since this wicking geotextile consists of wicking fibers, they can wick water out from unsaturated soils in a pavement structure thus resulting in an increase of soil resilient modulus and enhance performance of roadways. In this study, a physical model test was developed to evaluate the effectiveness of the wicking geotextile in soil moisture reduction for roadway applications. A test box with a dimension of 1041 mm in length, 686 mm in width, and 584 mm in height was used in this study. Two HDPE plastic panels were used to separate the box into two sections, one containing a dehumidifier and the other backfilled with soil. The dehumidifier was adopted to collect the water, which was wicked out from the soil by the wicking geotextile and evaporated into air. Test results show that (1) the wicking geotextile wicked water out from the soil even at the moisture content close to the optimum moisture content and (2) the comparison of soil moisture contents before and after rainfall demonstrated that the wicking geotextile maintained the soil moisture contents after rainfall close to those before rainfall and had an effective distance for the soil moisture reduction.     

Large-scale load capacity tests on a geosynthetic encased column

Stone columns have been used to minimize the settlement of embankments on soft soils but their use in very soft soils can become challenging, partly because of the low confinement provided by the surrounding soil. Geosynthetic encased columns (GECs) have been successfully used to enhance to reduce settlements of embankments on soft soils. This paper describes an investigation on the performance of encased columns constructed on a very soft soil using different types of encasement (three woven geotextiles with different values of tensile stiffness) and different column fill materials (sand, gravel and recycled construction and demolition waste, RCDW). The results of load capacity tests conducted on large-scale models constructed to simulate the different types of GECs indicate that the displacement method adopted during column installation can lead to an enhanced shear strength in the smear zone that develops within the very soft soil. In addition, breakage of the column fill material was found to affect the load-settlement response of gravel and RCDW columns. Furthermore, the excess pore water pressure generated in the surrounding soil during installation, was found to remain limited to radial distances smaller than three times the GEC diameter.     

Microscale investigation into mechanical behaviors of heat-bonded nonwoven geotextile using DEM

Heat-bonded nonwoven geotextiles (HBNGs) made from synthetic fibers are widely used in engineering practices. One of the challenges on the way is to link the properties of fibers and the fabric's microstructure to the deformation and failure mechanisms of HBNGs. In this study, a random distribution geometry method was developed to reproduce the complex fibrous structure of HBNG. A piecewise linear model was adopted to reproduce the nonlinear stress-strain relationships of single fibers. The present method has been successfully applied in the simulation of uniaxial and biaxial tensile tests and puncture test. The orientation distribution of fibers and the mechanical behaviors (e.g., deformation, strain localization, force-strain relationship) of HBNG specimen were reasonably simulated. Specifically, the hourglass shape during uniaxial tensile test, the axisymmetric deformation pattern during biaxial tensile test and the trumpet shape during puncture test were all well reproduced. The present method provides an applicable tool to study the complicated mechanical behaviors of HBNG and is also helpful to obtain a better understanding of its deformation and failure mechanisms.     

Horizontal stiffness evaluation of geogrid-stabilized aggregate using shear wave transducers

Lateral restraint resulting from the interlock between geogrid and aggregate is recognized as a primary mechanism governing the load-bearing behavior of a geogrid-stabilized pavement base course. However, the level of geogrid–aggregate interlock and the local stiffness enhancement due to the lateral restraint has not been adequately quantified. In this paper, a new experimental method is proposed to evaluate the stiffness enhancement provided by the interlock of the geogrid–aggregate composite system using shear wave transducers. Repeated load triaxial tests were conducted to determine the resilient modulus and deformation characteristics of both geogrid-stabilized and unstabilized base course aggregates. The stabilized test specimens were evaluated for two geogrid types with rectangular and triangular apertures. For the shear wave measurements, three pairs of bender elements fixed at each mounting base were installed diametrically on the triaxial test specimens at three different locations above the mid-height level, where the horizontal shear modulus profiles of the geogrid-stabilized and unstabilized specimens were determined. The experimental results indicate that the shear modulus profiles obtained as a function of confinement changed significantly based on the geogrid inclusion and type, whereas there were no considerable changes in the resilient moduli from the different specimens, as they were only influenced by the applied stress states. The shear moduli estimated in the vicinity of the geogrid were greater than those at locations farther away from the geogrid, which was installed at the mid-height of the specimen. The shear modulus profiles varied according to the confining stress, and the shear modulus ratio of the stabilized to unstabilized specimens clearly demonstrated the stiffness enhancement provided by the two different geogrids. Accordingly, the shear modulus profiles estimated from the horizontal shear wave measurements of the bender element can be effectively used to determine the mechanically stabilized layer characteristics of a geogrid, and therefore quantify the local stiffness enhancement provided by the geogrid–aggregate interlock.     

Investigation of effects of temperature cycles on soil-concrete interface behavior using direct shear tests

The intermittent operation of the ground source heat pump connected to thermo-active geo-structures (e.g. energy piles) results in cyclic thermal loading on the soil-structure interface. To investigate the effects of cyclic thermal loading on soil-structure interface properties, a conventional direct shear device was modified by replacing the bottom shear box with a concrete plate (with smooth and rough surfaces) that has embedded aluminum tubes to heat and cool the interface. A series of tests were performed with interface temperatures of 4.5, 22.5, and 42.5 °C, respectively. The constant normal stresses of the direct shear tests were 27.6, 41.4, and 100 kPa. The tests were conducted both under cooling and heating conditions with thermal cycle numbers of 0.5 and 10.5. The tests were conducted at a shearing rate of 3 mm/min. The effects of water content changes on the shear strength of soil-concrete interface was also investigated by performing tests with soil water content ranging from 15% to 19%. The responses of soil-concrete interface subjected to temperature change and cycles and different water contents are presented in this paper.     

Improvements in small-scale standardized testing of geotextiles used in silt fence applications

Silt fence have been used as a means for intercepting and treating construction site stormwater runoff prior to offsite discharge for well over 30 years. Standard small-scale testing methodologies for evaluating the filtering component of silt fence installations have failed to mimic realistic flows and sediment loadings commonly seen in field applications. To address these issues, this study evaluated the performance capabilities of two nonwoven and three woven silt fence geotextiles using an innovative testing methodology and a newly developed small-scale testing apparatus. The overall intent for conducting the evaluations was to develop a deeper understanding of effluent flow rates, sediment retention capabilities, and water quality impacts associated with geotextile fabrics. Results suggest that effluent flow rates of nonwoven geotextiles are on average 43% lower than woven materials, which results in extensive upstream retention times of impounded stormwater for nonwoven materials. Sediment retention results indicate that nonwoven geotextiles have an average sediment retention rate of 97% while woven geotextiles average 91%. Finally, water quality analyses suggest that the primary means for turbidity reductions rely on the process of sedimentation during the 30-min test period (i.e., 46% reduction) and filtration during the 90-min dewatering period (i.e., 19% reduction).     

Bottom ash as a backfill material in reinforced soil structures

The paper describes the interface behaviour of bottom ash, obtained from two thermal power plants, and geogrid for possible utilization as a reinforced fill material in reinforced soil structures. Pullout tests were conducted on polyester geogrid embedded in compacted bottom ash samples as per ASTM D6706-01. Locally available natural sand was used as a reference material. The pullout resistance offered by geogrid embedded in bottom ash was almost identical to that in sand. In order to study the influence of placement condition of the material on pullout resistance, test were conducted on uncompacted fill materials. Pullout resistance offered by geogrids embedded in uncompacted specimen reduced by 30–60% than that at the compacted condition.     

Quantifying the effects of geogrid reinforcement in unbound granular base

This study presents an effort to quantify the effects of geogrid reinforcement in the unbound granular base through laboratory testing. Two laboratory tests, the large-scale cyclic shear test and the repeated load triaxial test, were employed. The test protocol of the cyclic shear test was developed by modifying that for the triaxial test. The cyclic shear test was performed by applying a series of cyclic shear stresses to the geogrid-aggregate interface under different normal stresses. Two different types of geogrids were used as reinforcement in unbound granular material. Resilient modulus (M_R) from the repeated load triaxial test and a term named resilient interface shear modulus (G_i) from the cyclic shear test was used to characterize the effects of geogrid reinforcement in unbound granular base, respectively. The results of triaxial tests showed that the inclusion of geogrid had a negligible effect on the resilient modulus, indicating that the triaxial resilient modulus test may not be effective in evaluating the geogrid reinforcement in unbound granular materials. Compared to the triaxial resilient modulus test, the cyclic shear test showed great potential in identifying the effects of geogrid reinforcement, with an obvious improvement in the degree of interlocking between geogrids and aggregates.     

Influence of toe restraint conditions on performance of geosynthetic-reinforced soil retaining walls using centrifuge model tests

Current design regulations most often require use of limit equilibrium methods for the internal stability analyses of geosynthetic-reinforced soil (GRS) walls. However, the limit-equilibrium based approaches generally over-predict reinforcement loads for GRS walls when comparing with measured data from full-scale instrumented walls under working stress conditions. Wall toe resistance has an important influence on the performance of GRS walls but is ignored in limit equilibrium-based methods of design. This paper reports centrifuge modelling of GRS walls which have different toe restraint conditions but are otherwise identical. The GRS wall models prepared in this study isolate the influence of wall toe resistance on the performance of walls. Based on measured data from four centrifuge wall model tests, a reduction in wall toe resistance (by reducing the interface shear resistance at the base of the wall facing or removing the soil passive resistance in front of the wall toe or both) induces larger maximum facing deformation and reinforcement strain and load. The results also demonstrate that the wall models with typical toe restraint conditions are most likely operated under working stress conditions while those with poor toe restraint conditions may experience (or be close to reach) a state of limit equilibrium.     

The role of undrained clay soil subgrade properties in controlling deformations in geomembranes

Strains were evaluated in a 1.5 mm HDPE geomembrane from overlying coarse uniform drainage gravel when placed above six different compacted clayey soils while keeping pressure, protection, loading rate equal. In each case, a protection layer consisting of 400 g/m² nonwoven geotextile was placed over the geomembrane. Vertical load of 300 kPa was applied in a relatively short duration. A photogrammetry procedure was used to develop a digital elevation model for each deformed geomembrane surface and the distribution of resulting strain in the geomembrane was evaluated on a percent area basis. The proportion of the overall geomembrane area in which the localised strain exceeded 3% was related to the compacted water content, index soil properties, and undrained shear strength of the six different clayey soils. It was found that an increase in moulding moisture content resulted in increased geomembrane strain in all cases, but the magnitude of the increase in strain varied considerably, depending on the plasticity and silt content of the soil used.     

Mitigation of ground vibrations induced by high speed railways using double geofoam barriers: Centrifuge modeling

This paper presents a study of the propagation and mitigation of ground vibrations induced by high speed railways using 8 centrifuge tests. In the reported tests here, geofoam is used as a barrier in various locations and arrangements (single and double) to mitigate ground vibrations. The results show that the surface waves guide the propagation pattern of ground vibrations induced by high speed railways and also reveal that geofoam is a proper material for the mitigation of such ground vibrations. While the use of single geofoam barriers can reduce ground vibrations by up to 54.5%, their performance at low input frequencies are undesirable. Double geofoam barriers are used and tested in various locations to eliminate such inconvenient effects and improve the mitigation of ground vibrations. The results show that double geofoam barriers can mitigate the vibrations by about 14%–35% more than a single geofoam barrier and undesirable performances for the mentioned low input frequencies are also eliminated.     

Coupled numerical and experimental analyses of load transfer mechanisms in granular-reinforced platform overlying cavities

A numerical model based on Finite Element Method (FEM) - Discrete Element Method (DEM) coupling is used to reproduce well controlled laboratory experiments that simulate circular cavity openings under granular embankments reinforced by a geotextile. The numerical deflection of the geotextile, the surface settlement and the soil expansion factor were investigated for various embankment heights, diameter ratios, cavity-opening modes, soil properties, and geotextile stiffnesses, and then compared to the results of laboratory tests. The load transfer mechanisms were also investigated. Good agreement between numerical and experimental results is shown, thus demonstrating the relevance of the numerical model. Complementary to the experiments, a numerical sensitivity analysis, that allows highlighting the influence of the main parameters and improving experimental observation, was also performed.     

Deformation characteristics of soil between prefabricated vertical drains under vacuum preloading

The deformation characteristics of soil among prefabricated vertical drains (PVDs) subjected to vacuum pressure are investigated using a model test conducted on dredged slurry. Red iron particles are used to indirectly indicate the lateral displacement of soil under vacuum preloading. Test results showed that, in addition to the settlement of soil between two PVDs, there was also lateral displacement that varied with consolidation time and lateral distance from the PVD because of lateral vacuum suction. The lateral displacement arose successively with the increasing lateral distance. And it increased from zero on the PVD surface and dropped back to zero again at the midpoint between the two PVDs. There should have been a maximum value of the lateral displacement at a point near the PVD. The combined vertical and lateral displacement formed a soil pile around the PVD and showed a ‘V’ shaped soil surface.     

Centrifuge and numerical model studies on the behaviour of geogrid reinforced soil walls with marginal backfills with and without geocomposite layers

The aim of this paper is to study the effect of geocomposite layers as internal drainage system on the behaviour of geogrid reinforced soil walls with marginal backfills using centrifuge and numerical modelling. A series of centrifuge model tests were carried out using a 4.5 m radius beam centrifuge facility available at IIT Bombay. A seepage condition was imposed to all models to simulate rising ground water condition. Displacement and pore water pressure transducers were used to monitor the performance of all centrifuge models. A geogrid reinforced soil wall without any geocomposite layer experienced catastrophic failure soon after applying seepage due to the development of excess pore water pressure within the reinforced soil zone of the wall. In comparison, reinforced soil wall with two geocomposite layers at the bottom portion of the wall was found to have a good performance at the onset of seepage and by embedding four geocomposite layers up to the mid-height of the wall from bottom as a result of lowering phreatic surface much more effectively. For analysing further the observed behaviour of centrifuge model tests, stability and seepage analysis were conducted using SLOPE/W and SEEP/W software packages. A good agreement was found between the results of numerical analysis and observation made in centrifuge tests. The effect of number of geocomposite layers as well as its transmissivity was further analysed using parametric study. The results of parametric study revealed that the number of geocomposite layers plays a main role on the good performance of the geogrid reinforced soil walls with marginal backfill.     

Magnitude and significance of tensile strains in geomembrane landfill liners

The implications of the tensile stress/strain developed in high density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembranes (GMB) is explored in the context of a reduction in stress crack resistance due to ageing in contact with leachate in a municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill. The experimental evidence of GMB cracking and ultimately failure when subject to excessive tensile strains is discussed to highlight the need to limit the maximum tensile strain sustained by an HDPE GMB to an acceptable level if good long-term performance is to be ensured. The effect of both local GMB indentations induced by gravel in an overlying drainage layer or an underlying clay liner on tensile strain is reviewed. In addition, the tensile strains caused by down-drag in the GMB on side slopes with settlement of the waste is examined. The key research related to tensile strains developed in GMBs from these sources is reviewed and new data presented. It is shown that an appropriate protection layer over the GMB can limit local GMB tensile strains to less than 3% and that the selection of a suitable slope inclination and stiffness of a geotextile reinforcement layer can limit the GMB strains due to down-drag to less than 2% and geotextile strains to less than 4% after long-term waste settlement.     

Impact of repeated loading on mechanical response of a reinforced sand

Pavements constructed over loosely compacted subgrades may not possess adequate California bearing ratio(CBR)to meet the requirements of pavement design codes,which may lead to a thicker pavement design for addressing the required strength.Geosynthetics have been proven to be effective for mitigating the adverse mechanical behaviors of weak soils as integrated constituents of base and sub-base layers in road construction.This study investigated the behaviors of unreinforced and reinforced sand with nonwoven geotextile using repeated CBR loading test(followed by unloading and reloading).The depth and number of geotextile reinforcement layers,as well as the compaction ratio of the soil above and below the reinforcement layer(s)and the compaction ratio of the sand bed,were set as variables in this context.Geotextile layers were placed at upper thickness ratios of 0.3,0.6 and 0.9 and the lower thickness ratio of 0.3.The compaction ratios of the upper layer and the sand bed varied between 85% and 97% to simulate a dense layer on a medium dense sand bed for all unreinforced and reinforced testing scenarios.Repeated CBR loading tests were conducted to the target loads of 100 kgf,150 kgf,200 kgf and 400 kgf,respectively(1 kgf = 9.8 N).The results indicated that placing one layer of reinforcement with an upper thickness ratio of 0.3 and compacting the soil above the reinforcement to compaction ratio of 97%significantly reduced the penetration of the CBR piston for all target repeated load levels.However,using two layers of reinforcement sandwiched between two dense soil layers with a compaction ratio of 97%with upper and lower thickness ratios of 0.3 resulted in the lowest penetration.     

Deformation analysis of geosynthetic-encased stone column using cavity expansion models with emphasis on boundary condition

This paper presents a modified theoretical model to predict the deformation of geosynthetic-encased stone column (GESC) and surrounding soil, using cylindrical cavity expansion model (CEM). The model was distinguished for single GESC and GESC in groups with emphasis on the different boundary conditions. The displacement boundary of CEM was used for GESC in groups, and the stress boundary of CEM was adopted for single GESC. The plasticity development of the soil obeying the Mohr-Coulomb yielding criterion was considered. The stress and settlement of the GESC were analyzed by radial stress and vertical stress equilibrium. This method has been verified via comparison with test data and numerical simulation results. The influences of applied loading, geosynthetic encasement stiffness, and soil stiffness on the mechanical performance of the GESC and the surrounding soil have also been investigated. The proposed theoretical approaches are suitable for predicting the deformation of the GESC, and the surrounding soil. The proposed method in unit cell analysis was more reasonable for GESC in groups.     

Full scale investigation of GCL damage mechanisms in small earth dam retrofit applications under earthquake loading

This paper reports results of full scale testing to further explore potential GCL damage mechanisms in earth dam retrofit applications in seismically active areas; in particular, to a) investigate whether shear displacements could reduce the magnitude of GCL panel overlap during earthquake shaking; b) explore the influence of gravel particles on GCL thickness at localised point of contact; and c) observe the consequences of an accidental exposure of an uncovered GCL to short duration rainfall in terms of moisture content and effects during subsequent compaction. The results of these experiments indicate that even under severe shaking no movements were detected at the GCL panel overlap. Whereas gravel particles were observed to locally reduce the thickness of the GCL to 2.2 mm, no plowing of the particle into the GCL occurred due to a lack of shear displacement at the interface, resulting in no localised internal erosion through the barrier. Furthermore, hydration of GCL panels during construction due to surface wetting was observed to result in a state of hydration less than its post-construction state. These results indicate that although each of the three GCL damage mechanisms cannot be ruled out to ever be relevant in practice, the performance of the GCL retrofitted earth dam tested was satisfactory under even severe Level 2 earthquake shaking, and suggests that the retrofitting of small earth dams with GCLs is a promising strategy to improve their static and seismic resistance.     

A novel 2D-3D conversion method for calculating maximum strain of geosynthetic reinforcement in pile-supported embankments

For design of a geosynthetic-reinforced pile-supported (GRPS) embankment over soft soil, the methods used to calculate strains in geosynthetic reinforcement at a vertical stress were mostly developed based on a plane-strain or two-dimensional (2-D) condition or a strip between two pile caps. These 2-D-based methods cannot accurately predict the strain of geosynthetic reinforcement under a three-dimensional (3-D) condition. In this paper, a series of numerical models were established to compare the maximum strains and vertical deflections (also called sags) of geosynthetic reinforcement under the 2-D and 3-D conditions, considering the following influence factors: soil support, cap shape and pattern, and a cushion layer between cap and reinforcement. The numerical results show that the maximum strain in the geosynthetic reinforcement decreased with an increase of the modulus of subgrade reaction. The 2-D model underestimated the maximum strain and sag in the geosynthetic reinforcement as compared with the 3-D model. The cap shape and pattern had significant influences on the maximum strains in the geosynthetic reinforcements. An empirical method involving the geometric factors of cap shape and pattern, and the soil support was developed to convert the calculated strains of geosynthetic reinforcement in piled embankments under the 2-D condition to those under the 3-D condition and verified through a comparison with the results in the literature.     

Centrifugal tests on minimization of flood-induced deformation of levees by steel drainage pipes

The rise in the river water level in a levee raises the phreatic surface. This facilitates the development of positive pore water pressure in the region below the phreatic surface, and consequently, reduces the shear strength of the soil. Steel drainage pipes that can provide both drainage and reinforcement functions could be a better option for levee protection against flooding compared to the traditional method of protection which can provide only one or the other of these functions. This paper presents the results of a series of centrifugal tests for six cases conducted to investigate the effectiveness of newly designed steel drainage pipes for minimizing the flood-induced deformation of levees. The test results reveal that the installation of these steel drainage pipes (1) allows the levee to withstand a higher flood water head and extended flood duration and (2) is effective for limiting the continuation of the slip line in the slope. The quick drainage of the seepage water can restrict the development of positive pore water pressure in the slope, and the mobilization of the axial force in the pipes minimizes the flood-induced deformation of the levee.