Vertical earth pressure increments due to vibratory roller on geogrid-reinforced embankments

ABSTRACT: There is an increasing demand for geogrid-reinforced soils in geotechnical areas. Geogrid-reinforced soils have been used to minimise the settlement and to increase the bearing capacity of roadway constructions, especially embankments. In this study, field tests have been performed to investigate the effects of geogrid reinforcement under various conditions of embankment heights, the number of reinforced layers of the geogrid, and the mechanical properties of the soils and the geogrid. Dynamic loading generated by a vibratory roller was applied to the ground surface of the embankment and the dynamic vertical earth pressures were measured using an electrical dynamic pressure cell. The results of these measurements indicate that the dynamic vertical earth pressure increment from the vibratory roller decreases for greater embankment heights above the measuring location, which is expected, and the geogrid has little or no effect on the dynamic vertical earth pressures induced by the vibratory roller.