Analytical Design Method to Determine the Vertical Loading Capacity of Geosynthetic Tubes Filled with Granular Material

摘要

An analytical design method was developed to predict the loading and unloading behaviour under simple compression and decompression of geosynthetic tubes filled with lightweight granular materials. This method was validated by numerical results obtained from a discrete element code. The influence of the friction parameter on the behaviour of the geosynthetic tube between the fabric and the filling soil, the loading plate and/or the foundation were discussed in terms of parametric studies performed by help of the numerical model. The obtained results, had shown that the loading capacity of the geosynthetic tube is a function of the tensile stiffness of the fabric and of the frictional and dilative behaviour of the granular material. After unloading (or after compaction process) it was showed, that the height of the geosynthetic tube cannot exceed a minimal height and depends only of the intrinsic properties of the filling soil.