Cyclic Plate Load Testing of Geosynthetic-Reinforced Unbound Aggregate Roads

Abstract

A laboratory research program designed to investigate geotextile and geogrid reinforcement of the aggregate layer in unbound pavement sections was performed by the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center. The investigation's objective was to evaluate the performance of geosynthetic-reinforced aggregate road sections over a very soft subgrade. Standard construction materials were used to construct six aggregate road sections in a large steel box. Each instrumented road section was subjected to cyclic plate load tests to evaluate the performance of the model pavement sections under simulated truck traffic. The mechanistic response and permanent deformation of each instrumented pavement section were monitored periodically during each test. Analysis of the experiment data indicated that the geosynthetics improved the performance of the reinforced pavement sections compared with the unreinforced section in terms of improved load distribution and reduced permanent deformation or rutting. Additional information regarding the reinforcement mechanisms is summarized.

Radial stresses and resilient deformations of geogrid-stabilized unpaved roads under cyclic plate loading tests

“…When an excessive amount of deformation is accumulated under the applied traffic load, the curved and tensioned reinforcement can develop an upward force to support the load (Giroud and Noiray, 1981;Sharma et al, 2009). In addition to the above mechanisms, the geogrid at the interface between the aggregate base and the weak subgrade prevents the base aggregate from punching into the subgrade and the fines in the subgrade from migrating into the base course (Tingle and Jersey, 2005).…”

Stiffness and Strength Improvement of Geosynthetic-Reinforced Pavement Foundation Using Large-Scale Wheel Test

“…PLTs in relation to the evaluation of geosynthetics is often referred to as box testing. Though this testing procedure has been used in recent decades, the dimensions of this testing apparatus often vary significantly between experiments [8]. Though the basic procedure is the same for the experiments, different materials, subgrade conditions, measurements, loading conditions, and analysis are used to differentiate the new contribution of geosynthetic knowledge from each study.…”

“…The maximum applied load is 40 kN, which results in a plate loading pressure of 550 kPa. This loading was chosen to simulate a single tire configuration under an equivalent 80 kN single-axle load [1,[6][7][8][9].…”

Investigation of geotextile–soil interaction under a cyclic vertical load using the discrete element method

“…This test can also be used to evaluate the benefits of placing geosynthetics in the foundations (Douglas and Valsangkar, 1992;Kelly et al, 1995;Raymond, 2002;Tingle and Jersey, 2005;Han et al, 2008a). The DEM analysis was conducted to investigate particle movement and contact forces between the interacting particles under plate loading (Lim and McDowell, 2005;Lu and McDowell, 2007).…”