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Performance evaluation of geosynthetic reinforced flexible pavement: a review of full-scale field studies

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Abstract

Many experimental studies have shown that geosynthetic reinforcement of flexible pavement can be beneficial in terms of extending their service life and decreasing the required structural number of the pavement. Although numerous researches have performed experimental and numerical studies to evaluate the benefits of these reinforcements, comprehensive comparisons are lacking among the different investigations. This paper reviews typical field experimental studies on geosynthetic reinforcement of flexible pavement performed by various investigators. Researchers have found that the main appreciable improvement of geosynthetics reinforcement depends on various factors such as subgrade stiffness, base aggregate thickness and quality, hot mix asphalt thickness and quality, geogrid stiffness/location and so on. The granular equivalent (G.E.) factor was determined based on the results of the falling weight deflectometer (FWD) and the results of the unreinforced and reinforced section were compared to obtain the G.E. factors based on mentioned factors of reinforcements. Then, a unique formula is presented in this study, according to the performed comparison of the results. Although more investigations are needed to develop the presented method and general corrections, the results of this study can be used by the designers to evaluate the geosynthetic reinforcement of flexible pavements in their designs as well.

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Acknowledgments

The authors want to show their appreciation to John Siekmeier for his kind help and providing valuable information and FWD test results from the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) to use in this study. Also, Mr. Qinglong Tian and Dr. Yuderka Trinidad from Iowa State University are thanked for their valuable help in statistical calculations. This manuscript is based upon work supported by MnDOT under contract numbers 1034932 entitled “Effectiveness of Geotextile/Geogrids in Roadway Construction; Determine a Granular Equivalent (G.E.) Factor”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA

    Hossein Alimohammadi, Vernon R. Schaefer & Junxing Zheng

  2. Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, USA

    Hang Li

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  1. Hossein Alimohammadi
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  2. Vernon R. Schaefer
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  4. Hang Li
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Correspondence to Junxing Zheng.

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Peer review under responsibility of Chinese Society of Pavement Engineering.

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Alimohammadi, H., Schaefer, V.R., Zheng, J. et al. Performance evaluation of geosynthetic reinforced flexible pavement: a review of full-scale field studies. Int. J. Pavement Res. Technol. 14, 30–42 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42947-020-0019-y

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