3D Parametric Study of Geosynthetic-Reinforced Column-Supported Embankments: Fid-Bau Portal

3D Parametric Study of Geosynthetic-Reinforced Column-Supported Embankments

Huang, Jie / Han, Jie / Zheng, Junjie

Column-supported geosynthetic-reinforced embankments have been increasingly designed and constructed. Since settlement analysis has not been well considered in current design methods, numerical modeling has been often adopted to predict the long-term serviceability of the embankment by coupling hydraulic and mechanical models. To assess the influence of various factors on the settlement of column-supported embankments, coupled 3D numerical analyses were performed using FLAC3D in this study. Once calibrated by a well-documented case history in Finland, the coupled 3D numerical modeling scenario was implemented in a parametric study to fulfill the objective of this study. In the parametric study, a prototype case with a typical configuration served as the baseline case. One parameter was changed at one time to investigate the influence of a certain factor on the settlement. In the analyses, the foundation soils including soft and firm soils, the embankment fill, and the columns were modeled as linearly elastic-perfectly plastic materials with Mohr-Coulomb failure criteria. The geosynthetic reinforcement was simulated by geogrid elements in the FLAC3D, which in realty are plane-triangular elements, sustaining in-plane forces only. The staged construction was approximated by building the embankment in lifts with duration equal to the construction time plus the lapse time between two consecutive stages. The computed settlements were presented, compared, and discussed in this paper.