Soil Arching Effect in High-Speed Railway GRPS Embankment Subjected to Long-Term Traffic Loading

摘要

Geosynthetic reinforced pile-supported (GRPS) embankment, which is widely used in the construction of high-speed railway on soft soil, is one of the infrastructures considering soil arching effect as a key factor in the research. However, the existing design of GRPS embankment is mainly based on static achievements, as its behavior under long-term traffic loading is not yet fully understood and difficult to be predicted. In this study, an implicit-explicit transition calculation strategy was implemented to predict the permanent deformation under high-cycle loading through the data transfer and conversion between implicit and explicit numerical stages. Base on the method, a series of numerical simulations were conducted with the finite element (FE) models to study the soil arching effect in the GRPS embankment subjected to long-term traffic loading. A field test section of high-speed railway was selected as a case for discussion and validation. Results indicate that both the degree and affected area of the stress concentration over piles in the embankment are reduced under traffic loading. Considering the effect of different loading amplitudes, the variation of stress concentration ratio of the soil arching effect can be mainly classified into three groups: stable, gradual weakened, and destroyed.