Most geotextiles consist of polymers of polyolefin, polyester or polyamide family, which involve environmental problems related to soil pollution. Geotextiles can be used for at least one of the following functions: Separation, reinforcement, filtration, drainage, stabilization, barrier, and erosion protection. Due to the characteristics of high strength, low cost, and easy to use, geotextiles are widely used in geotechnical engineering such as soft foundation reinforcement, slope protection, and drainage system. This paper reviews composition and function of geotextiles in geotechnical engineering. In addition, based on literatures including the most recent data, the discussion turns to recent development of geotextiles, with emphasis on green geotextiles, intelligent geotextiles, and high-performance geotextiles. The present situation of these new geotextiles and their application in geotechnical engineering are reviewed.

A shaking table test was performed to study the dynamic response and failure modes of high slope. Test results show that PGA amplification coefficients increased with increasing elevation and the PGA amplification coefficient of the concave slope was slightly larger than that of the convex slope. The slope type affected the dynamic response of the slope. The elevation amplification effect of the concave slope under seismic load was more significant than that of the convex slope; thus, the concave slope was more unstable than the convex slope. Additionally, the PGA amplification coefficient measured on the slope surface was always larger than that inside the slope, and the data show an increasing trend with the broken line. The dynamic amplification effect of the high slope was closely related to the natural frequency of the slope. Within a certain range, the higher the frequency, the more significant the amplification effect. The dynamic failure process of concave and convex slopes was studied through tests. Findings indicate that the dynamic failure modes of the concave slope are characterized by shoulder collapse, formation of the sliding surface, and integral sliding above the slope line. Dynamic failure modes of the convex slope are mainly slips in the soil layer and collapse of the slope near the slope line.

Aeolian sand high embankments are always damaged by earthquakes; however, little research has addressed this so far. In this study, shaking table tests were conducted on three aeolian sand high embankment models. Based on the shear failure mechanism of aeolian sand, the seismic responses of model embankments were analyzed. When seismic waves were inputted, the horizontal acceleration magnification (HAM) of three models always exceeded 1.0, and showed an increasing trend with height. Furthermore, according to the HAM change rules of three models under different input peak accelerations, the destruction of model embankments under earthquakes includes three stages: the reflected wave emergence (RWE) stage, the reflected wave strengthening (RWS) stage, and the acceleration magnification attenuation (AMA) stage. According to this definition, models with slopes of 1/1.2 and 1/0.8 experienced all three stages during tests, and the critical horizontal acceleration transform from the RWS stage to the AMA stage appeared. The model with a slope of 1/1.5 only experienced RWE and RWS stages during the test. At the end of the tests, the macroscopic instability mechanisms of all three models were studied, which were found to match the distribution law of HAM during tests and the destruction stage definition.

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The settlement calculation of postgrouting piles is complex and depends on the calculation method and parameters. Static load tests were conducted to compare the settlement characteristics of nongrouting and postgrouting piles, and three vital parameters in the layer-wise summation method were revised to predict the settlement of postgrouting piles. The elastic compression coefficient was deduced based on the Mindlin–Geddes method by considering the influence of the change in the pile side resistance distribution and end resistance ratio on the elastic compression after grouting. The relationship between the compression modulus and soil gravity stress and cone penetration resistance were established, respectively, using experimental data. The optimum value of the settlement empirical coefficient was determined using regional data. Finally, we used the postgrouting pile of the Wuqi–Dingbian expressway as a practical example. The results obtained from the layer-wise summation method after parametric optimization were close to the measured values. The results of this study provide reference data and guidance for the settlement calculation of postgrouting piles in this area.

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It is possible to pass through a collapsible loess stratum during metro tunneling. When the surrounding potential water sources with pressure are induced by external influences, the tunnel structure will be influenced in the affected area of loess collapsibility. To deal with the water inrush disaster of the tunnel in a collapsible loess stratum, the mechanism of grouting diffusion in the loess stratum is analyzed. It is found that the main influencing factors of the grouting effect are the radius of the grouting ring and the permeability coefficient of the grouting ring. Then, based on the water inrush section of a metro tunnel in Xi’an city, China, the treatment effect of the project is compared and analyzed through field tests, field monitoring, and finite element simulation. The results show that the water pressure at the measuring point of the tunnel vault is reduced by 4 MPa; the maximum and the minimum principal stresses at the top of the segment lining increased by 34.9 kPa and 8.8 kPa, respectively, which is less than the increase without grouting; and the maximum displacement of the surrounding rock is reduced by 19 mm. The plastic area produced by local water source infiltration is about 62% of that before grouting. The treatment measures of grouting in the tunnel are safe and effective. This study is of valuable meaning for the treatment of water inrush disaster of a loess tunnel under the water environment.