Numerical Analysis of Arching Behavior of Geosynthetic-Reinforced and DCM Column-Supported Embankment with Geosynthetic Characteristics

This study presents a two-dimensional (2-D) numerical analysis of the arching behavior of geosynthetic-reinforced and column-supported embankment, in which the influence of geosynthetic on the soil arching phenomenon is considered. A 2-D plane strain model is developed by considering the effects of geosynthetic and deep cement mixing (DCM) columns in the soft ground, in which the DCM columns are installed simultaneously with the isolated and overlapped configurations. The numerical model is applied to analyze the behavior of geosynthetic reinforced column-supported embankment in Hertsby, Finland. The numerical results show that the geosynthetic plays an important role in improving the performance of the load transmission mechanism in an embankment. When the tensile stiffness of the geosynthetic increases, the lateral displacement reduces while the efficiency of soil arching and the stability of the embankment increases. The results of settlement and strain in geosynthetics obtained from the present analysis are in good agreement with the observed data. The current study shows that the efficiency of soil arching is improved significantly when the geosynthetic is applied. Especially, the soil arching efficiency is obviously enhanced when the geosynthetic stiffness ranges from 0 kN/m (without geosynthetic inclusion) to 200 kN/m.