Behavior of geocell reinforced bed under vibration loading: 3D numerical studies

The manuscript aims to provide numerous insights into the behavior of the geocell reinforced bed subjected to a vibration load. Vibration propagation mechanism, displacement, and stress response of geocell reinforcement have been described. Two different cases, namely, unreinforced and geocell-reinforced beds subjected to a vertical mode dynamic excitation have been analyzed using the finite-difference package FLAC^3D. Initially, the developed numerical model was validated with the results of field vibration test. Results revealed that the inclusion of the geocell reinforcement in the foundation bed significantly improves vibration isolation efficacy. The foundation bed strain due to vibration loading was reduced by 67% due to the provision of geocell reinforcement. Based on the observed wave propagation behavior of the geocell reinforced bed, a mechanism was proposed to quantify the diffraction angle and the dispersion distance of induced vibration. The diffraction angle was found to vary between 50° to 63° in the presence of a geocell mattress. The dynamic stress factor calculated using the hoop stress theory was found to vary between 1.5 to 2 for geocell with different infill materials. Further, parametric analysis was performed to understand the effect of geocell geometry on the peak particle velocity (PPV) response of the reinforced bed.