Experimental study on the properties of geocell-reinforced embankments

Abstract

A series of model experimental tests were conducted to compare the performance of reinforced embankments with geocells. Several design factors of reinforced embankments were studied in tests, these design factors include embedment depth of geocell, number of geocell layers. Experimental results suggested that, compared with unreinforced embankments, reinforced embankments effectively improved bearing capacity, reduced vertical and lateral displacements, and more uniformly distributed additional stresses. These characteristics indicate that the reinforced embankments can effectively enhance the stability of embankments. This study also revealed an optimal embedment depth for the geocell layers. The bearing capacity of geocell-reinforced embankments increased with the number of reinforcement layers, meanwhile the vertical and lateral displacements decreased.