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http://dx.doi.org/10.12989/gae.2013.5.3.263

Numerical analysis of geocell reinforced ballast overlying soft clay subgrade  

Saride, Sireesh (Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad)
Pradhan, Sailesh (Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Science)
Sitharam, T.G. (Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Science)
Puppala, Anand J. (Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Texas at Arlington)
Publication Information
Geomechanics and Engineering / v.5, no.3, 2013 , pp. 263-281 More about this Journal
Abstract
Geotextiles and geogrids have been in use for several decades in variety of geo-structure applications including foundation of embankments, retaining walls, pavements. Geocells is one such variant in geosynthetic reinforcement of recent years, which provides a three dimensional confinement to the infill material. Although extensive research has been carried on geocell reinforced sand, clay and layered soil subgrades, limited research has been reported on the aggregates/ballast reinforced with geocells. This paper presents the behavior of a railway sleeper subjected to monotonic loading on geocell reinforced aggregates, of size ranging from 20 to 75 mm, overlying soft clay subgrades. Series of tests were conducted in a steel test tank of dimensions $700mm{\times}300mm{\times}700mm$. In addition to the laboratory model tests, numerical simulations were performed using a finite difference code to predict the behavior of geocell reinforced ballast. The results from numerical simulations were compared with the experimental data. The numerical and experimental results manifested the importance that the geocell reinforcement has a significant effect on the ballast behaviour. The results depicted that the stiffness of underlying soft clay subgrade has a significant influence on the behavior of the geocell-aggregate composite material in redistributing the loading system.
Keywords
ballast; geocells; model studies; numerical simulations; soft clay;
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