Experimental study on impact of geocell on pavement performance under multi-stage loading

This study deals with extensive full-scale instrumented model testing on pavement sections with and without geocell reinforcement to evaluate the impact of different vehicular loading conditions on pavement performance. This study employed three different loading conditions, that is constant axle load and frequency (LC-1), constant axle load but varying frequency (LC-2), and constant frequency but varying axle load (LC-3). For both unreinforced and reinforced pavement sections, the permanent deformation values obtained for LC-1 conditions are about 15% to 16% lower than those obtained for LC-2 and LC-3 conditions, indicating that LC-1 may underestimate deformation potential under more severe loading scenarios. The study reveals that vertical stress is more significantly affected by load magnitude than by loading frequency. Furthermore, vertical stress increased with higher axle load and lower frequencies, emphasizing the importance of considering overloading conditions and lower loading frequencies in pavement performance assessments. The geocell strain results revealed that load magnitude significantly influences strain, highlighting the role of geocell in providing lateral confinement. While most previous studies and design codes focus on the LC-1 condition, this study highlights the importance of incorporating varying axle loads and frequencies for a more comprehensive understanding of pavement performance.