Geosynthetic Interface Behavior Under Dynamic Loading

The seismic stability of earth slopes, embankments, and landfills that incorporate geosynthetics has been receiving increased attention in geotechnical engineering practice. In the analysis of such structures, the dynamic interface shear properties play important role. The authors have been conducting research to understand the dynamic response of various geosynthetic-geosynthetic and geosynthetic-soil interfaces. This paper presents an overview of the research including: a description of the shaking table facility and the experimental setup developed; typical test results and discussions; and a description of a constitutive model for a geosynthetic-geosynthetic interface that can be used in wave propagation analysis of soil and landfill liner systems that incorporate geosynthetics.