Geosynthetic-Reinforced Piled Embankments: Comparison of Numerical and Analytical Methods

Abstract

Geosynthetic reinforced piled embankment systems (GRPESs) have proven to be an effective and economical technique to address the problems posed during the construction of embankments on soft soils. In this paper, the predictions of the performance of GRPESs from three modeling approaches [axisymmetric, three-dimensional (3D) column, and full 3D models] were compared. The numerical models in this study were calibrated against the measured data of GRPESs from a full-scale field test. The load distribution between different components of the GRPES and the tensile force developed in the geosynthetic reinforcement were compared with the results obtained using various design methods and other analytical results. Further, the numerical investigation was extended to examine the tensile force developed among the layers of a multilayer GRPES, and the results were compared with the empirical solutions.