Calculation model and bearing capacity optimization method for the soil settlement between piles in geosynthetic-reinforced pile-supported embankments based on the membrane effect

Abstract

The geosynthetic-reinforced pile-supported embankment (GRPSE) system has been widely used in road construction on soft soil. However, the application of the GRPSE system is often restricted by its high-cost. The reason is that they are designed for bearing control as defined in the past. During the construction process, the pile spacing is reduced to meet the requirements for the embankment bearing capacity and settlement. These factors cause the membrane effect to not be exploited. As a result, the utilization efficiency of the bearing capacity of the soil between the piles is low and the project cost is high. Therefore, in order to solve the problem of insufficient bearing capacity of soil between piles, we established a settlement calculation model of soil between piles based on membrane effect. The model considers the relationship between the geosynthetic reinforcement (GR) and the pile spacing. Based on the obtained model, a method for optimizing the soil bearing capacity of GRPSEs is proposed. By controlling the settlement of soil between piles, the bearing capacity of soil between piles and the membrane effect of embankment can be fully utilized. Therefore, the project cost can be reduced. Finally, the method is applied to field tests for comparison. The results show that the method is reasonable and applicable. This method can effectively exploit the membrane effect and improve the utilization efficiency of the bearing capacity of the soil between piles. An economical and reasonable arrangement scheme for the piles and GR was obtained. This scheme can not only ensure the safety of the project, but also fully utilize the bearing capacity of the soil between the piles and provide a new method for engineering design.

Settlement and stress analysis in stabilized slab- and pile-supported embankment based on double-equal settlement plane

“…In this study, the load transfer theoretical model for SSPS embankments was proposed by considering the effect of soil arching and the interaction between the embankment fill, stabilized soil, pile, foundation soil and bearing stratum. In the theoretical model, the interaction between the pile and soil in the GRPS embankment was used as a reference (Chen et al, 2009;Zhou et al, 2012;Zhao et al, 2017;Zhang et al, 2021;Xu et al, 2024;Hou et al, 2024), and the stabilized slab deformation was assumed to be a composite quadratic function based on geosynthetic-reinforced deformation (Avesani Neto et al, 2013;Jones et al, 1990;Liu et al, 2021;Zhang et al, 2009). Also, the stress and strain coordination relationship of embankment fill, stabilized slab, pile, composite reinforcement area and bearing stratum were analyzed according to the minimum potential energy and doubleequal settlement plane theories.…”

Influence of the α Angle of Flexible Concrete Expanded-Plate Piles on the Bearing Capacity under Horizontal Load

“…At present, most scholars' research mainly focuses on the two aspects of tensile and compressive strength [8,9]. However, in practical engineering, there will be a situation that the restraint of the reinforced concrete pile cap is not large enough to the pile, resulting in the pile body not only bearing the vertical force but also the horizontal displacement at the top of the pile [10]. erefore, the damage of building foundation is often accompanied by more complex damage, such as punching and torsion of the pile caused by the horizontal force [11,12].…”