Geosynthetic-reinforced pile-supported embankments with caps in a triangular pattern over soft clay

Given the limit studies on the behavior of GRPS embankments with different numbers of geosynthetic layers and pile caps in a triangular pattern, this paper conducted a series of three-dimensional (3-D) numerical analyses. The numerical model was verified based on a well-instrumented large-scale test. A 3-D soil arch model was proposed for pile caps in a triangular pattern, in which the crown of the upper boundary was approximately 1.4 times the clear spacing of pile caps. Inclusion of geosynthetic reinforcement reduced the soil arching effect but increased the total load carried by the piles. For the case with three geosynthetic layers, the lower layer had a significant effect on load transfer than the middle and upper layers, but each layer had an almost proportional effect on mitigating the differential sett on the top of the gravel cushion. The maximum strains in the reinforcement concentrated on the geosynthetic strips bridging over two adjacent square cap corners.