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A three-dimensional mechanistic-empirical model for geocell-reinforced unpaved roads

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Abstract

Geocell is a three-dimensional geosynthetic product that was originally developed to confine granular bases and minimize permanent deformation of unpaved roads. Many laboratory and field tests have demonstrated the effectiveness of geocell reinforcement in roadway constructions. However, the lack of a well-established design method that can quantify the benefit of geocell reinforcement has greatly limited the application of geocell in roadways. This paper presents the development of a three-dimensional mechanistic-empirical (M-E) model for geocell-reinforced unpaved roads. The constitutive equation for the tangential resilient modulus of the base material was derived under a general three-dimensional condition. Two analytical models were introduced to estimate the compaction- and repeated load-induced residual stresses in the base layer. These analytical models consider the material properties and construction effects in a rational way thus can be used for various situations. Finally, the proposed M-E model was validated against the test results from four unpaved road sections. Comparisons between the calculated results and the test data show that the three-dimensional M-E model effectively simulated the permanent deformation behavior of geocell-reinforced unpaved roads under a large number of load repetitions, given that the unpaved road was stable under a repeated load.

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Acknowledgments

This research was jointly funded by the University of Kansas, Transportation Research Institute from Grant #DT0S59-06-G-00047, provided by the US Department of Transportation—Research and Innovative Technology Administration, PRS Mediterranean, Inc. in Israel, and the Geosynthetic Institute under its GSI Fellowship Program for the first author. The resilient modulus tests in this study were performed at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with the help of Professor Erol Tutumluer and his students.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA

    Xiaoming Yang

  2. Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA

    Jie Han & Robert L. Parsons

  3. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA

    Dov Leshchinsky

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  1. Xiaoming Yang
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  2. Jie Han
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  3. Dov Leshchinsky
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  4. Robert L. Parsons
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Correspondence to Jie Han.

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Yang, X., Han, J., Leshchinsky, D. et al. A three-dimensional mechanistic-empirical model for geocell-reinforced unpaved roads. Acta Geotech. 8, 201–213 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-012-0183-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-012-0183-6

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