Semi-analytical solutions for geosynthetic-reinforced and pile-supported embankment

摘要

Total and differential settlements are major concerns in embankment design. Geosynthetic-reinforced and pile-supported embankments are recent innovations designed to reduce the total and differential settlements of an embankment, especially on soft subgrade soil. In this paper, semi-analytical solutions were developed to assess the performance of this type of embankment. The geosynthetic-reinforced cushion was idealized as an elastic foundation beam. The vertical piles and subgrade soils were idealized as elastic springs. Winkler's elastic foundation beam theory was used in the analysis, which considered the shear resistances at the top and bottom of the geosynthetic-reinforced cushion. Semi-analytical solutions were proposed to quantify the effects of various factors, such as soil-beam interface resistance, pile stiffness, pile spacing and the elastic modulus of the foundation beam. It was found that the maximum and differential settlements of the foundation beam can be reduced by increasing pile stiffness, reducing pile spacing, and increasing the elastic modulus of the beam. The characteristics of geosynthetic reinforcement play an important role because they are directly related to the tension strength and elastic modulus of the foundation beam.