• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.21 no.6
• /
• pp.137-146
• /
• 2005

299 railroad slopes were investigated and the failure characteristics and reinforcement patterns were analyzed. Stability analyses on the 14 cut-off soil slopes were carried out. Surficial failures were predicted by infinite slope analyses assuming the temporarily perched ground water table at soil surface during rainfall period. Limit equilibrium analyses were also carried out and the influences of rainfall infiltration on the slope stabilities were taken Into account by seepage analyses using finite element method and by assuming ground water tables to be located adjacent to soil surface. The adequacy of those analyses was evaluated by comparing the slope failure characteristics between analysis results and the past failure records. From the comparison results, it was deduced that the limit equilibrium analyses were not appropriate to estimate the shallow failure that occurred at most of the railroad cut-off soil slopes. For the better estimation of the surficial failure, not only the increase of pore-water pressure (reduction of matric suction), but also the influence of water flows over slope surface which erode soil mass, should be evaluated and considered.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
• /
• v.8 no.3
• /
• pp.9-16
• /
• 2009

In generally, ground surface strengthening such as using geotextile is needed to secure trafficability of construction equipment. Several calculation methods for bearing capacity for very soft ground improved by geotextile have been proposed already but they are not established yet. In this paper, elastoplastic finite element analysis is carried out to estimate bearing capacity improvement for very soft ground reinforced by geotextile. In conclusion, by reinforcing with geotextile the bearing capacity improvement of very soft ground is increased with the increase of the settlement after yielding. And it is enough that the length of geotextile is about 3~4 times of the loaded width for the effect to the bearing capacity improvement. Finally, the biggest tensile force of geotextile occurs at an edge of the uniform load.