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Study on the Performance Improvement of the Embankment Reinforced by a New-Style Geocell with High Strength Characteristics

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Abstract

In this work, a new type of geocell with high-strength characteristics was applied to support the embankment to improve its performance. To evaluate the performance of an Embankment Reinforced by a New-style geocell, the geocell-reinforced embankment was designed to obtain optimal design parameters by using Abaqus Finite Element program. The parameters, including the aperture size of the geocell, reinforcement spacing, reinforcement length, slope rate, and slope step, were determined by analyzing the mechanical behavior of the embankment reinforced by a new-style geocell based on the safety factor, lateral displacement, and tensile stress on the geocell-reinforced embankment. Then a numerical simulation, where the performance of geocell-reinforced embankment was evaluated in terms of horizontal displacement, vertical displacement, tensile stress, shear stress, and plastic zone compared with unreinforced embankment, was conducted to evaluate the improvement effects of the new-style geocell on the embankment performance. The results revealed that the concentration area of horizontal displacement for the geocell-reinforced embankment, mainly located near the bottom of the embankment, was significantly reduced. The vertical displacement and differential settlement of the embankment were reduced by 13% and 79.6% after reinforcing, respectively. Moreover, the provision of geocell reinforcement greatly influenced the internal stress of the embankment, resulting in a 40% reduction in the distribution area of tensile stress. The comparison between the geocell-reinforced and unreinforced embankment on the plastic zone indicated that the slope toe of the embankment was the weakest position for shear failure, regardless of whether it was reinforced or not.

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All data that support the findings of this study are available in the manuscript.

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Acknowledgements

This research work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51178168). The authors acknowledge the financial support from the CCCC Second Highway Consultants Co., Ltd., And the authors would also like to thank Lanzhou Decaux Engineering Materials Co., Ltd., for providing geocell in the study.

Funding

The National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 51178168,.Yunsheng Zhu.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Transportation and Logistics Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430063, China

    Tiekun Peng, Yunsheng Zhu & Qiang Wang

  2. CCCC Second Highway Consultants Co., Ltd, Wuhan, 430100, China

    Shaolong Peng

  3. Hubei Highway Engineering Research Center, Wuhan, 430063, China

    Tiekun Peng, Yunsheng Zhu & Qiang Wang

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  1. Tiekun Peng
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  2. Shaolong Peng
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Correspondence to Yunsheng Zhu.

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Peng, T., Peng, S., Zhu, Y. et al. Study on the Performance Improvement of the Embankment Reinforced by a New-Style Geocell with High Strength Characteristics. Indian Geotech J 53, 1226–1249 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40098-023-00740-5

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