Modeling of soil/geosynthetic interaction in reinforced earthworks
Description
Soil-reinforcement technology has become an acceptable approach for constructing earth structures. Development in the industry of polymer based reinforcements (geosynthetics) provided the necessary products to advance this technology Limit state design of soil-reinforced continuum does not account for the characteristic kinematic and constitutive behavior of the different elements that constitute a reinforced-soil mass. In the mean time, finite element modeling, which is a powerful numerical tool, provides a scheme of analysis that is capable of predicting the overall performance of a reinforced-soil continuum. Different finite element models have been reported in the literature for modeling soil/geosynthetic interaction in reinforced-earth structures. However, most of these attempts do not fully represent the possible modes of shear mobilization that may develop along different types of soil/geosynthetic interfaces. Possible numerical problems were also associated with most of these models This research provides a new approach for the finite element modeling of soil/geosynthetic interaction in reinforced earth works. The proposed approach is based on the actual interaction behavior experienced in different experimental and theoretical studies presented in the literature over the past three decades The model was numerically tested versus the results of actual laboratory and field tests conducted on soil/geotextile and soil/geogrid pullout tests. The results of the numerical analyses complied with the actual measurements indicating the reliability of the model. A new computer program, TU-INTERACT incorporating the new model, was developed to simulate the behavior of full-scale reinforced-earth structures. The program was used to perform a class-C prediction for the field behavior of a full-scale test section of a levee located in New Orleans, Louisiana. The numerical model yielded good predictions of the field measurements A parametric study was conducted on virtual scenarios to investigate the effect of the different control parameters of soil/geosynthetic interactions on the overall behavior of reinforced-soil masses, and to further examine the sensitivity of the proposed model to the changes in such parameters. Results of this study yielded logical behavior that conformed with the expected real performance of reinforced earth structures