GEOFOAM COMPRESSIBLE INCLUSIONS: THE NEW FRONTIER IN EARTH RETAINING STRUCTURES

摘要

A compressible inclusion in the broadest sense of the term is any relatively compressible material that is intentionally placed between a rigid and/or non-yielding structure and the ground that would otherwise be in direct contact with it. This allows the ground to yield or displace. The primary benefit is reduced earth pressures acting on the structure which can either reduce the cost of a new structure or enhance the performance of an existing one. This paper outlines the basic ways in which modern, engineered compressible inclusions are used with earth-retaining structures to produce controlled yielding and predictable results. Typical materials used, which nowadays are usually some type of geofoam geosynthetic, and specific transportation-related applications are also described. Because of the diversity of applications and the fact that there are usually multiple benefits to using them, the use of geofoam compressible inclusions has the potential to significantly and permanently impact they way in which earth-retaining structures are designed, constructed, maintained, rehabilitated, and upgraded.