Highway and Bridge Engineering 2014, International Symposium

Iai, Romnia, December 12th, 2014

Geosynthetic reinforcement for base / subbase courses of road

structures
Oana Elena Col
Department of Transportation Infrastructure and Foundations, Gheorghe Asachi Technical University,
Iai, 700050, Romania

Summary
Geosynthetics are defined as man-made plastic planar products, shaped in many
forms, that are used with soil, rock, or other geotechnical-related materials in
order to solve different civil engineering problems.
The benefit of using geosynthetics have been seen in road and highway
engineering. From this point of view, the geosynthetics may be used to increase the
structural or load-carrying capacity of a system by transfer the loads to the
geosynthetic material or to decrease the height of the base and surface courses
above relatively soft subgrades.
Geosynthetics for base or subbase courses of unpaved or paved roads and
highways have been used for separation, filtration, lateral drainage, and
reinforcement purposes.
The mechanisms by which geosynthetics provide reinforcement when placed at the
subbase and subgrade interface include lateral restraint or confinement of subbase
material, and increase in bearing capacity.
This paper presents the main aspects of using geosynthetics for base / subbase
courses of road structures.
KEYWORDS: geosynthetics, base, subbase, highway, paved roads, unpaved roads.

1. INTRODUCTION
Along the years, the advantages and efficiency of using geosynthetics were seen in
different areas of application:
reinforced soil systems (embankments over soft foundations, reinforced
soil walls, reinforced steepened slopes);
subsurface drainage (road base drainage, structure drainage);
erosion and sediment control;
base reinforcement (stress reduction and reinforcement).

O.E.Col

The advantages of the use of geosynthetics may be divided in two categories:

technical advantages and economic advantages. Between the technical advantages,
we may talk about:
a quickly installation with flexibility to construct during short period;
the possibility of space savings;
allows a better material quality control because the geosynthetics are
homogeneous than soil and aggregates;
the safety factor may be increased;
better construction quality control at site;
protection of the environment;
the performance and service life are improved;
the geosynthetics are compatible with field conditions.
The economic advantages and the importance of geosynthetics are given by the
facts that:
the natural resources are efficient use and the pollution is minimized;
gives the possibility to increase the efficiency of structures,
are durable, long lasting and environmentally safe solutions for the
geotechnical engineering projects.
minimizes the regular repair and maintenance costs directly;
reduces the costs of the projects (up to 30%).
These advantages were seen also for roads and highways constructed with
geosynthetic-reinforced subbase, were observations indicate better performance
(less rutting associated with increased numbers of load repetitions).

2. THE USE OF GEOSYNTHETICS FOR BASE / SUBBASE

COURSES OF ROAD STRUCTURES
In order to increase the structural or load-carrying capacity of a road system by the
transfer the load to the geosynthetic material a geosynthetic layer is added at the
bottom or within a base course, Figure 1, resulting a base reinforcement.
The main benefits of the base / subbase reinforcement are [3]:
an improved service life of the road;
an equivalent performance for a road using a reduced structural section.
a safety factor in case of weaker subgrade from design values or
inaccuracies in the design methodology.

Highway and Bridge Engineering 2014 International Symposium

Figure 1. Subbase reinforcement, [4]

2.1. Unpaved or paved roads

Geosynthetics applications on roads and highway can be split in two areas,
depending on the type of roads that are used for: unpaved and paved roads. The
separation between the two is necessary, since for each of them are utilized
different theories, physical mechanisms, design methodologies and failure criteria,
[1].
An unpaved road is typically constructed by placing a layer of select granular
material, upon the subgrade as a surface course. Initially a regrading or levelling of
the ruts can be performed. The purpose of the granular layer is to transfer the
surface load to the subgrade while spreading out the load to the subgrade, which
effectively reduces the intensity of pressure on the subgrade [1]. For these types of
roads, the geosynthetic placed below the granular material layer and on the
subgrade surface, assure the separation between them and so increases the services
life of the road.
For paved roads the purpose of geosynthetics placed below the granular base or
subbase is to allow for increased numbers of load repetitions prior to failure due to
rutting and/or fatigue.

2.2. Geosynthetics functions for roadways

The benefits of the geosynthetics used for unpaved and paved are given by the
different functions of these materials related to roadways applications:
separation (the placement of a flexible geosynthetic material, bellow the
granular layer so that the integrity and functioning of these layer can
remain intact or even be improved), Figure 2;

O.E.Col

Figure 2. Separation function (left separated, right mixed), [1]

filtration (allows for adequate liquid flow without soil loss, across the
plane of the geotextile over a service lifetime);
lateral drainage (the lateral movement of water within the plane of the
geosynthetic);
reinforcement (the addition of structural or load-carrying capacity to a
pavement system by the transfer of load to the geosynthetic material), [3]

The reinforcement functions of the geosynthetics is provided by, [1], [3]:

lateral restraint of the upper granular course (occurs when a geosynthetic is

placed at the subgrade/subbase or base interface to increase the support of
construction equipment over a weak or soft subgrade), Figure 3;

bearing capacity increase by forcing the potential bearing capacity failure

surface to develop along alternate, higher shear strength surfaces, Figure 4;

tensioned membrane effect when strained extensively - a pavement

reinforcement mechanism mobilized under high deformation conditions,
Figure 5.

Figure 3. The lateral restraint function, [1]

Highway and Bridge Engineering 2014 International Symposium

Figure 4. Bearing capacity increase, [3]

Figure 5. The tensioned membrane function, [1]

For unpaved roads, the all three types of mechanism (lateral restrain, bearing
capacity increase and tensioned membrane) may act and determine the
reinforcement function. For the paved roads, the tensioned membrane effect is not
appropriate because a large rutting is required to mobilize the reinforcement
strength.

2.3. Geosynthetics for base / subbase courses

The types of geosynthetics used for the base / subbase courses of roads are
geotextiles, geogrids and geocelles.
The primary function of the non-woven (Figure 6.a) and woven (Figure 6.b)
geotextiles is to separate the layers between strata to prevent the upward migration
of fine-grained particles from the subgrade into subbase layers. They can also
provide, lateral drainage (non-woven geotextiles) and reinforcement by the tensionmembrane effect between the underlying weak soils and the road structure.

O.E.Col

The geogrids (biaxial and trixial) and geocelles, Figure 6.c-e, act primarily as
reinforcement. They provide lateral restraint or confinement of aggregate layers
above subgrade. In order to have the tensioned membrane effect is necessary that
the geosynthetic to be extensively strained.

a) non woven geotextile

b) woven geotextile

c) biaxial geogrids

d) triaxial geogrids

d) geocell

Figure 6. Types of geosynthetics for base/ sub-base reinforcement [4]

Highway and Bridge Engineering 2014 International Symposium

3. CONCLUSIONS
The main benefits of using geosynthetics in roadways are depending of the
functions of the material used and the type of road were is placed. From these point
of view the principal benefits are:
the reduction of the intensity of stress on the subgrade;
the prevention of the aggregate to penetrate into the subgrade;
the reduction of the differential settlement of the roadway that contribute
to the integrity and uniformity of the pavement;
the reduction of the frost action in frost-susceptible soils by providing
capillary breaks;
the reduction of the of seasonal water content of the swelling clays beneath
the roadways on clays;
the reduction of the thickness of granular aggregate required to stabilize the
subgrade;
the extension of life and reduction of maintenance of the pavement.
Taking in account all these benefits, the use of geosynthetics for the base and
subbase courses of roads should be seen as a viable and practical solution for the
new projects in Romania.

References
1. Maxwell S., Kim W.H., Edil T.B., and Benson C.H., Effectiveness of geosynthetics in stabilizing
soft subgrades, Final Report, Geotechnical Engineering Program Department of Civil
Environmental Engineering University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2005.
2. White D.J - Subgrade stabilization Using Geosynthetics, Iowa State University, Institute for
transportation, Tech Brief, April, 2014;
3. Berg R.R., Christopher B.R., Perkins S., Geosynthetic Reinforcement of the Aggregate
Base/Subbase Courses of Pavement Structures, GMA White Paper II, Ryan R. Berg & Associates,
Inc. June 27, 2000.
4. www.lianyifiberglass.en.alibaba.com, accesat 12 ianuarie 2014, LianYi Bi-axial Geogrids,
http://lianyifiberglass.en.alibaba.com/product/60063635418219068309/Biaxial_plastic_geogrid_f
or_Sub_base_reinforcement.html
5. Iliescu M., Ratiu I, Geogrid reinforced road subgrade stabilization design methodology, Acta
Technica Napocensis: Civil Engineering & Architecture Vol. 5, No. 3 (2012).