TY - JOUR
T1 - Geosynthetic-reinforced and pile-supported embankments
T2 - theoretical discussion of finite difference numerical analyses results
AU - Mangraviti, Viviana
AU - Flessati, Luca
AU - di Prisco, Claudio
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Piled foundations are commonly employed to reduce settlements of artificial earth embankments on soft soil strata and geosynthetic reinforcements are installed at the embankment base to increase pile spacing and reduce construction costs. Despite the well-documented effectiveness of this technique, the mechanical processes, developing during the construction in the different elements constituting the ‘geo-structure’, are not fully understood and the design approaches are based on very simplified assumptions. They disregard the deformability of the various elements constituting the system and cannot be employed to estimate settlements. With the aim of introducing a displacement-based design approach to optimise the use of reinforcements and piles, in this article, the mechanical response of the system during the embankment construction is studied by means of large displacement non-linear finite difference numerical analyses, in which the geosynthetic reinforcement is modelled as an elastic membrane. The arching effect developing within the embankment body is described and the evolution of the process zone, where shear strains localise, is discussed. The global system response is described in terms of (i) average, (ii) differential settlements at the top of the embankment and (iii) maximum tensile force within the geosynthetic reinforcement.
AB - Piled foundations are commonly employed to reduce settlements of artificial earth embankments on soft soil strata and geosynthetic reinforcements are installed at the embankment base to increase pile spacing and reduce construction costs. Despite the well-documented effectiveness of this technique, the mechanical processes, developing during the construction in the different elements constituting the ‘geo-structure’, are not fully understood and the design approaches are based on very simplified assumptions. They disregard the deformability of the various elements constituting the system and cannot be employed to estimate settlements. With the aim of introducing a displacement-based design approach to optimise the use of reinforcements and piles, in this article, the mechanical response of the system during the embankment construction is studied by means of large displacement non-linear finite difference numerical analyses, in which the geosynthetic reinforcement is modelled as an elastic membrane. The arching effect developing within the embankment body is described and the evolution of the process zone, where shear strains localise, is discussed. The global system response is described in terms of (i) average, (ii) differential settlements at the top of the embankment and (iii) maximum tensile force within the geosynthetic reinforcement.
KW - arching effect
KW - embankment construction
KW - finite difference
KW - geosynthetic
KW - Geosynthetic-reinforced pile-supported embankments
KW - large displacement
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85152383108&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/19648189.2023.2190400
DO - 10.1080/19648189.2023.2190400
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85152383108
SN - 1964-8189
VL - 27
SP - 4337
EP - 4363
JO - European Journal of Environmental and Civil Engineering
JF - European Journal of Environmental and Civil Engineering
IS - 15
ER -