27-07-2016

Design and Construction Aspects

of Geosynthetic Reinforced
Embankment on Soft Soil

Seethalakshmi P
PhD Research Scholar
Civil Engineering
IIT Gandhinagar

Short course on Geosynthetics applications

in infrastructure development

Introduction Soft Soil

Geology:
Marine sediments
In the vicinity of rivers undergoing meandering and
In areas where runoff restricted and presence of organic matter

Geotechnical properties:
Highly plastic fine grained
High in-situ water content,
liquid limit, plastic limit
Low permeability
High compressibility
Low shear strength
Normally consolidated Source: http://www.civil.uq.edu.au/icarus/soft-soil-challenge-1

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Embankments on Soft Soil

Problems:
Stability due to less shear strength
Settlement due to high compressibility
Failure:
Shear failure (bearing capacity), Sliding, Lateral displacement
Improvement techniques:
Part or full replacement of soft subsoil
Chemical stabilization of foundation soil
Stage construction
Sand Drains with preloading
Use of stone columns
Use of reinforcement (metallic- steel or polymeric Geosynthetics)
Use of PVDs

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Geosynthetic Reinforced
Embankment
Types of Application:

(as per IRC: 113-2013) Source: http://nptel.ac.in/courses/105108075/module8/Lecture34.pdf

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Why Geosynthetic Reinforcement???

Types of material:
Geogrid (uniaxial usually), high/low strength geotextile
Functions of geosynthetic reinforcement:
More bearing capacity and easy movement of machines
Accelerated drainage
Improved rotational stability
Reduced differential settlement
Chemically inert and non-bio degradable
Greater durability
Benefits:
Prevents lateral spreading, extrusion of the
Stability terms
foundation, ensures rotational stability
Accelerates settlement and reduces
differential settlement Settlement terms

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How to decide Design Tensile

Strength??

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Design Tensile Strength

Determination

Tal = allowable tensile strength

Tult = ultimate tensile strength
RFID = Reduction factor for installation damage
RFCR = Reduction factor for creep
RFCH = Reduction factor against chemical/environmental effects
RFW = Reduction factor to allow for weathering
fs = global factor of safety

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Design of Geosynthetic
Reinforced Embankment
Stability checks:

Rotational stability of embankment

Bearing Capacity failure
Lateral sliding stability

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Rotational Stability

Source: http://nptel.ac.in/courses/105108075/module8/Lecture34.pdf

Mr = summation of resisting moment of all slices in kN-m/m

Md = summation of driving moment of all slices in kN-m/m
Tg = tensile force needed in the reinforcement kN/m
R = distance from the centre of slip circle to the reinforcement layer
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Bearing Capacity Failure

Source: http://nptel.ac.in/courses/105108075/module8/Lecture34.pdf

Ultimate bearing capacity of the foundation soil:

Cu = Undrained shear strength of the soil in kN/m2
Nc = Bearing capacity factor
B = Width of the bottom of the embankment in m
D = Depth of the soft soil in m

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Lateral Sliding
W = h
= Density of embankment fills
h = average height of the
embankment fill above the
reinforcement length (Le) in meter
Ls = Horizontal projection of the
lateral slope
Le = Reinforcement Bond Length
= Interaction coefficient
= Angle of internal friction for
embankment fill
c = Cohesion of the embankment fill
Ka = Active earth pressure coefficient
for embankment fill
H = Height of embankment in meter
Source: http://nptel.ac.in/courses/105108075/module8/Lecture34.pdf

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Lateral sliding continued

If FS less than the required value - provide anchorage blocks in the form of
sand bags, gabion, concrete blocks

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Other considerations
Seismic consideration:
as per IRC: 75 guidelines along with the IS:1893(Part-1)-2002

Allowable strain in the reinforcement

5% for short term applications and
5% to 10% for long term applications along with compatibility

Settlement analysis
permissible total settlement using conventional methods
No reduction in total settlement
Decrease in differential settlement
Settlement results in increased tension allowable strain check
necessary

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Minimum FS requirement

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Selection Of Geosynthetic
Material
Based on the following
parameters:

Strength requirements

Drainage requirements

Environmental considerations

Survivability and fill requirements

Source: IRC: 113 - 2013

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Strength requirement:
In terms of material, environmental exposure, Specifications

Ultimate tensile strength, tensile strength at 2% and 5% strain

Roll length, roll width, long term design strength at 60 years and 100 years
Geogrid:
Single strip tensile strength and width (Bonded geogrid)
Strain at max. tensile strength (CMD & MD knitted or woven geogrid)
Geotextile:
tensile strength and strain at max. strength along MD & CMD (wide width
tensile strength), puncture strength, apparent opening size, permittivity
Geocomposites:
Tests of geogrid for reinforcement, and of geotextile for separation
Separation layer:
Grab tensile strength, grab elongation, trapezoidal tear strength, apparent
opening size, permittivity, puncture strength
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Drainage requirements:
Should not develop excess pore pressure
Should have enough piping resistance and not have clogging problem

Environmental conditions:
Should have very high resistance to chemical and biological attacks
In unusual cases (very low (< 3) or very high (> 9) pH soils, mines,
chemically active, acidic soils) compatibility needs to be checked

Survivability and fill requirements:

Installation damage major consideration in design tensile strength of
geotextiles
Fill requirements as per IRC:36

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Case studies
Southern Transport Development Project Seethawaka
Industrial Park, Avissawella, Srilanka:

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Case studies
Road Project: S.Marco-Argentano Road Italy:

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Case studies
Four Laning of NH-5 between Rajahmundry and Eluru,
Andhra Pradesh:

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Case studies
Restoration of Wharf Road (NH-9) at Vijayawada by
Geocell Basal Mattress & Reinforced Soil Wall:

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Case studies
Road Project: Visakhapatnam Port Connectivity Road
Project, Andhra Pradesh

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Case studies
Road Over Bridge near PMC Building, Port Road,
Mundra, Gujarat

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References
Guidelines for the design and construction of geosynthetic
reinforced embankments on soft subsoils, IRC:113-2013

Consolidaton By Sand Drains,

(http://nptel.ac.in/courses/105104132/Module5/lecture33.pdf)

Design of embankments on soft soil using geosynthetics, Lecture-

34, (http://nptel.ac.in/courses/105108075/module8/Lecture34.pdf)

Guidelines on soft soils- stage construction method, (Guideline

no.: ge:g - 5)

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