Numerical investigation of reinforcement pullout resistance effects on behavior of geosynthetic-reinforced soil (GRS) piers

In this study, three-dimensional numerical analyses were carried out to investigate the effects of reinforcement pullout resistance including facing connection strength on the behavior of geosynthetic-reinforced soil (GRS) piers under a service load condition. Three different piers were investigated in this study, which simulated different levels of reinforcement pullout resistance. Each pier had two cases with different reinforcement stiffness J and reinforcement spacing S_v but the same ratio of J/S_v. Numerical results showed that reinforcement pullout resistance had a significant effect on the behavior of GRS piers. When the pullout mode prevailed, the case with small S_v and low J had smaller lateral facing displacements and vertical strain of the pier under the same applied pressure as compared to the case with large S_v and high J when the ratio of J/S_v was kept constant. When the pullout mode did not prevail, two cases with the same ratio of J/S_v showed similar performance despite different combinations of S_v and J were used. To more effectively mobilize reinforcement strength and improve GRS pier performance, small reinforcement spacing or high-strength facing connection should be considered when sufficient reinforcement pullout resistance cannot be guaranteed otherwise.     

Three-dimensional finite element analysis of geosynthetic-reinforced soil walls with turning corners

The paper presents in-depth three-dimensional finite element analyses investigating geosynthetic-reinforced soil walls with turning corners. Validation of the 3D numerical procedure was first performed via comparisons between the simulated and reported results of a benchmark physical modeling built at the Royal Military College of Canada. GRS walls with corners of 90°, 105°, 120°, 135°, 150°, and 180° were simulated adopting the National Concrete Masonry Association guidelines. The behaviors of the GRS walls with corners, including the lateral facing displacement, maximum reinforcement load, factor of safety, potential failure surface, vertical separation of facing blocks, and types of corners were carefully evaluated. Our comprehensive results show (i) minimum lateral displacement occurs at the corner; (ii) lower strength of reinforcements are required at the corner; (iii) higher corner angles lead to lower stability; (iv) potential failure surface forms earlier at the end walls; (v) deeper potential failure surfaces are found at the corners; (vi) larger numbers of vertical separations are found at walls with smaller corner angles. The paper highlighted the salient influence of the corners on the behaviors of GRS walls and indicated that a 3D analysis could reflect the required reinforcement length and the irregular formation of the potential failure surfaces.     

Performance of geosynthetic-reinforced soil foundations across a normal fault

This paper presents a series of model tests on geosynthetic-reinforced soil (GRS) foundations across a normal fault. The aim was to evaluate the performance of reinforced foundations as a mitigation measure for surface faulting hazards. Experimental tests modeled a 3-m thick foundation in prototype subjected to a fault displacement up to 90 cm. Test variables included the number of reinforcement layers, reinforcement stiffness and location, and foundation height. Digital image analysis techniques were applied to determine the ground settlement profile, angular distortion, shear rupture propagation, and mobilized reinforcement tensile strain at various magnitudes of fault offset. Test results revealed that compared with the unreinforced foundation, reinforcement inclusion could effectively prevent the shear rupture propagating from the bedrock fault to the ground surface. It also spread the differential settlement to a wider influential zone, resulting in an average reduction of 60% in the fault-induced angular distortion at the ground surface. The maximum angular distortion decreased as the foundation height, number of reinforcement layers, and reinforcement stiffness increased. Relationships between the maximum angular distortion and maximum mobilized reinforcement tensile strain with fault displacement were therefore established. Based on the findings from this study, design suggestions and implications are discussed.     

One-step analytical method for required reinforcement stiffness of vertical reinforced soil wall with given factor of safety on backfill soil

The selection of geosynthetic reinforcements in the design of geosynthetic-reinforced soil (GRS) retaining walls has been based on the requirement on the long-term strength. However, the mobilized loads in the reinforcements are related to both the reinforcement stiffness and soil deformation, and the desired factor of safety may not exist in the earth structure if they are not properly considered. Therefore, it is also important to take into account the long-term reinforcement stiffness when designing GRS retaining walls. In this study, a simplistic analytical method is proposed to determine the required reinforcement stiffness with given factor of safety on the backfill soil. The method takes into account soil-reinforcement interaction, nonlinear stress-strain behavior of soil, and soil dilatancy. The reinforcement strains predicted by the proposed method were compared to those analyzed by validated nonlinear Finite Element analyses, and close agreement was obtained.     

3D coupled mechanical and hydraulic modeling of a geosynthetic-reinforced deep mixed column-supported embankment

Numerical studies were conducted to improve the understanding of the behavior of geosynthetic-reinforced column-supported embankments. Due to the complexity of the problem, so far, consolidation process and three-dimensional patterns of columns have not been well simulated in most published numerical studies. As a result, the time-dependant behavior and the serviceability of this system have not been well evaluated. In this study, a three-dimensional coupled mechanical and hydraulic modeling was conducted using FLAC3D to consider consolidation and three-dimensional arrangement of columns. This study was based on a well-documented bridge approach embankment reinforced by a layer of geotextile and supported by deep mixed (DM) columns. The foundation soils including soft clay and silt, the embankment fill, and the deep mixed columns were modeled as linearly elastic-perfectly plastic materials with Mohr–Coulomb failure criteria. The geotextile reinforcement was simulated by geogrid elements incorporated in the FLAC3D software, which can sustain in-plane tensile force only. The staged construction was simulated by building the embankment in lifts. The duration of each lift was the same as the actual construction time plus the lapse time between two consecutive stages. The development of settlement and tension in the geotextile with time is compared with the long-term monitoring data and yields good agreement. The generation and dissipation of excess pore water pressure during and after construction are presented and discussed.     

Numerical simulation of geosynthetic-reinforced soil walls under seismic shaking

This paper presents the results of numerical simulation of three full-scale geosynthetic-reinforced soil walls that were seismically loaded by a shaking table. Material model parameters were determined from the available laboratory data. In particular, the backfill was simulated with a cap model with parameters dependent of stress level. Hardening parameters of cap model were determined from hyperbolic relation derived from the relevant hydrostatic compression tests. A discussion on the calibration of modeling parameters is presented. Responses compared include (a) maximum wall displacement, (b) maximum backfill settlement, (c) maximum lateral earth pressure, (d) maximum bearing pressure, (e) maximum reinforcement tensile load, (f) absolute maximum acceleration in reinforced soil zone, and (g) absolute maximum acceleration in retained soil zone. Qualities of simulations were evaluated and are discussed. It was found that not all the calculated results agree well with the measured data. However, strong inference or high confidence is anticipated for the closely matched responses such as lateral earth pressure and horizontal displacement utilizing the calibrated model described herein. As indicated by the calculated results, seismic wall displacement decreases with decreasing reinforcement spacing. Factors responsible for comparison discrepancy are discussed. Variability within the measured data is thought to have contributed to some of the comparison discrepancies.     

Load-bearing performance of model GRS bridge abutments with different facing and reinforcement spacing configurations

The paper reports the construction and surcharge load-testing of three (3) large-scale (~2.50 m-tall) GRS bridge abutment models in an outdoor test station to investigate the influences that the facing type and reinforcement spacing could have on their load-bearing performance. The facing types examined included cored Concrete Masonry Units (CMU) in Model #1 and much larger solid concrete blocks in Models #2 and #3. Reinforcement spacing in the first two models was 0.20 m, whereas it was increased to 0.30 m in the third model. Results show that using large facing blocks in GRS abutments could lead to significant improvements in their load-deformation performance relative to those with the CMU facing alternative. This improvement was observed even in the case of model with increased reinforcement spacing. Therefore, use of larger facing blocks could also help reduce the cost of GRS abutments by reducing the need for tighter reinforcement.     

Upper bound seismic limit analysis of geosynthetic-reinforced unsaturated soil walls

The assessment of the internal stability of geosynthetic-reinforced earth retaining walls has historically been investigated in previous studies assuming dry backfills. However, the majority of the failures of these structures are caused by the water presence. The studies including the water presence in the backfill are scarce and often consider saturated backfills. In reality, most soils are unsaturated in nature and the matric suction plays an important role in the wall's stability. This paper investigates the internal seismic stability of geosynthetic-reinforced unsaturated earth retaining walls. The groundwater level can be located at any reinforced backfill depth. Several nonlinear equations relating the unsaturated soil shear strength to the matric suction and different backfill type of soils are considered in this study. The log-spiral failure mechanism generated by the point-to-point method is considered. The upper-bound theorem of the limit analysis is used to evaluate the strength required to maintain the reinforced soil walls stability and the seismic loading are represented by the pseudo-dynamic approach. A parametric study showed that the required reinforcement strength is influenced by several parameters such as the soil friction angle, the horizontal seismic coefficient, the water table level, the matric suction distribution as well as the soil types and the unsaturated soils shear strength.     

Predicting the settlement of geosynthetic-reinforced soil foundations using evolutionary artificial intelligence technique

In order to ensure safe and sustainable design of geosynthetic-reinforced soil foundation (GRSF), settlement prediction is a challenging task for practising civil/geotechnical engineers. In this paper, a new hybrid technique for predicting the settlement of GRSF has been proposed based on the combination of evolutionary algorithm, that is, grey-wolf optimisation (GWO) and artificial neural network (ANN), abbreviated as ANN-GWO model. For this purpose, the reliable pertinent data were generated through numerical simulations conducted on validated large-scale 3-D finite element model. The predictive power of the model was assessed using various well-established statistical indices, and also validated against several independent scientific studies as reported in literature. Furthermore, the sensitivity analysis was conducted to examine the robustness and reliability of the model. The results as obtained have indicated that the developed hybrid ANN-GWO model can estimate the maximum settlement of GRSF under service loads in a reliable and intelligent way, and thus, can be deployed as a predictive tool for the preliminary design of GRSF. Finally, the model was translated into functional relationship which can be executed without the need of any expensive computer-based program.     

Required unfactored geosynthetic strength of three-dimensional reinforced soil structures comprised of cohesive backfills

Conservative design of Geosynthetic-reinforced soil structures (GRSSs) is commonly limited to two-dimensional (2D) conditions, ignoring the influence of possible cohesion in backfill material. However, the actual stability of GRSSs is directly influenced by the presence of cohesion – true or apparent – in backfill as well as three-dimensional (3D) effects. In this study, a 3D rational failure mechanism based on the kinematic approach of limit analysis is adopted to assess the stability of GRSSs comprised of cohesive backfills. Within this study, the influence of 3D effects, varying pore water pressures, varying backfill cohesion, and a range of slopes on long-term stability are illustrated in a series of convenient design charts. The results of 3D stability analyses for geosynthetic reinforced walls constructed with cohesive backfills are compared with the results obtained from design guidelines. As expected, when GRSSs are well-drained and relatively narrow in width - or when increasing levels of cohesion are present in the backfill - more stable conditions are realized. For practical scenarios, however, it is critical that cohesive soils should be utilized as backfill with great caution and reliable drainage conditions. Nonetheless, the presented solutions are directly useful towards the assessment of failures of real GRSSs, as they may be constructed with marginal fills that exhibit cohesion, accumulate pore water pressure and often exhibit failure conditions that are three-dimensional in nature.     

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.     

Numerical parametric study of geosynthetic reinforced soil integrated bridge system (GRS-IBS)

A 2-D finite flement model was developed in this study to conduct a FE parametric study on the effects of some variables in the performance of geosynthetic reinforced soil integrated bridge system (GRS-IBS). The variables investigated in this study include the effect of internal friction angle of backfill material, width of reinforced soil foundation (RSF), secondary reinforcement within bearing bed, setback distance, bearing width and length of reinforcement. Other important parameters such as reinforcement stiffness and spacing were previously investgated by the authors. The performance of GRS-IBS were investgated in terms of lateral facing displacement, strain distribution along reinforcement, and location of potential failure zone. The results showed that the internal friction angle of backfill material has a significant impact on the performance of GRS-IBS. The secondary reinforcement, setback distance, and bearing width have low impact on the performance of GRS-IBS. However, it was found that the width of RSF and length of reinforcement have negligible effect on the performance of GRS-IBS. Finally, the potential failure envelope of the GRS-IBS abutment was found to be a combination of punching shear failure envelope (top) that starts under the inner edge of strip footing and extends vertically downward to intersect with Rankine active failure envelope (bottom).     

Experimental and upper-bound study of the influence of soilbag tail length on the reinforcement effect in soil slopes

Soilbags have good reinforcement effect on soil slopes. In this paper, traditional soilbag is modified by adding a tail to it. Model tests have been used to study the influence of soilbag tail length on the reinforcement effect in soilbags reinforced slopes. Moreover, a permissive failure pattern and a corresponding velocity field have been established based on the experimental results. Then, the ultimate failure heights of the reinforced slopes are obtained by using the upper-bound solution theory and compared with the experimental results. Both the experimental and analytical results show that within a certain limit, the reinforcement effect improves with the increase of tail length. However, when the tail length is over a certain value, the increase of the tail length does not improve the reinforcement effect any more. This provides theoretical basis to the optimized design of soilbags reinforced slopes.     

An application of three-dimensional analysis around a tunnel portal under construction

Deformation of a tunnel portal during tunnel excavation is very complex, and it can affect adjacent portal structures. During the construction of the Seoul Metro Line 7, a temporary vertical shaft was constructed by cut and cover method to take out a shield machine and to excavate subsequent tunnel by New Austrian Tunneling Method. Due to the complex structure of tunnel portals, the temporary support system of the vertical shaft was expected to be subjected to an additional load during the tunnel excavation. Thus, three-dimensional analysis of the vertical shaft, including tunnel excavation process, was performed in order to ensure the safety of overall system. This paper presents behavior of the vertical shaft based on the three-dimensional numerical analysis results during the construction sequence.     

软土地区中门架式围护结构的有限元分析

门架式围护结构作为一种新型的围护结构形式,综合了水泥土重力式围护结构和双排桩结构的特点,具有施工方便、经济性好等优点。但目前关于该围护形式的计算理论尚不成熟,在设计过程中存在困难。为此,本文采用有限元软件PLAXIS建立门架式围护结构的有限元模型,使用HS模型模拟基坑的开挖过程,分析了深基坑开挖中排桩间距和桩身长度等对...     

锚拉桩三维土拱效应数值分析与试验研究

针对锚拉桩设计中土压力计算模式存在的问题,提出了三维土拱效应模型这种新的计算方法,通过有限元方法,对该模型的正确性进行了验证。在此基础上,讨论了锚头间距、土体粘聚力、内摩擦角及弹性模量对三维土拱效应的影响。结果表明:随着锚头间距增大,土拱效应减小;土体粘聚力和内摩擦角增大,土拱效应增强,但增大到一定值后,荷载分担比例变化较小,且粘聚力值变化对土拱效应的影响比内摩擦角更显著;土体弹性模量增大,荷载分担比例也增大,最大可达到100%,此时结构体系可采用点锚,三维土拱效应存在于整个锚索自由段。为进一步验证模型的正确性,进行了室内模拟试验,试验结果表明,挡板后水平及竖向均存在土拱效应。     

Evaluating long-term benefits of geosynthetics in flexible pavements built over weak subgrades by finite element and Mechanistic-Empirical analyses

Finite element (FE) models were developed to evaluate the benefits of geosynthetic reinforcement in flexible pavements built over weak subgrades. The parametric study was conducted to evaluate the effect of different variables such as base thickness, geosynthetic type, geosynthetic stiffness, and double-geogrid layers. FE analyses were performed for 100 load cycles, and the permanent deformation (PD) was used to calibrate the empirical parameters in MEPDG equations for each layer, which were used to extrapolate PD data for the service life of pavements. The PD curves for unreinforced and similar reinforced sections were used to evaluate the Traffic Benefit Ratios (TBR) at different rut depths. The results showed that the inclusion of one geogrid/geotextile layer at the base-subgrade interface could significantly reduce pavement rutting. The use of geogrid is more effective than geotextile in reducing pavement rutting. The derived TBR values range from 1.91 to 8.9 for one geogrid layer and from 1.71 to 5.92 for one geotextile layer. The TBR values increase with increasing the rutting depth and geosynthetic stiffness. The TBR value demonstrates an optimum at a base thickness of 10 in. The results demonstrated the superior benefits of using double geogrid layers compared to single-layer cases.     

Energy efficiency of fibre reinforced soil formation at small element scale: Laboratory and numerical investigation

This paper explores the aspects related to the energy consumption for the compaction of unreinforced and fibre reinforced samples fabricated in the laboratory. It is well known that, for a fixed soil density, the addition of fibres invariably results in an increased resistance to compaction. However, similar peak strength properties of a dense unreinforced sample can be obtained using looser granular soil matrices mixed with small quantities of fibres. Based on both experimental and discrete element modelling (DEM) procedures, this paper demonstrates that less compaction energy is required for building loose fibre reinforced sand samples than for denser unreinforced sand samples while both samples show similar peak strength properties. Beyond corroborating the macro-scale experimental observations, the result of the DEM analyses provides an insight into the local micro-scale mechanisms governing the fibre-grain interaction. These assessments focus on the evolution of the void ratio distribution, re-arrangement of soil particles, mobilisation of stresses in the fibres, and the evolution of the fibre orientation distribution during the stages of compaction.     

Study on seismic stability and performance of reinforced soil walls using shaking table tests

The paper reports a 1 g shaking table test that was carried out on a reinforced soil wall with an objective to study the acceleration amplification in the backfill, and phase differences between dynamic responses of the reinforced and retained zones. Results of the study show that including the observed larger acceleration amplification in the upper half of the wall, and the phase difference between maximum lateral earth pressure and inertial load in the backfill in the analysis would lead to more accurate predictions of: (1) the wall response relative to predicted reinforcement load, (2) elevations of line of action for both the inertial and lateral earth forces in the backfill, and (3) wall deformations, as compared to pseudo-static methods of analysis.