See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/301566527

EVALUATION OF GIROUD & NOIRAY METHOD OF REINFORCED FLEXIBLE

PAVEMENT DESIGN

Conference Paper · December 2006

CITATIONS READS

0 1,344

2 authors, including:

C.N.V. Satyanarayana Reddy

Andhra University, Visakhapatnam,India
93 PUBLICATIONS   133 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

POTENTIAL USE OF SILICO MANGANESE SLAG FOR CIVIL ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS View project

Potential of Anchored Geotextiles at Expansive subgrades in Flexible Pavements for Performance Improvement View project

All content following this page was uploaded by C.N.V. Satyanarayana Reddy on 22 April 2016.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 GEOINDEX
IGC 2006, 14-16 December 2006, Chennai, INDIA

EVALUATION OF GIROUD & NOIRAY METHOD OF REINFORCED

FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT DESIGN

Satyanarayana Reddy C.N.V.

Department of Civil Engineering, Kakatiya Institute of Technology & Science, Warangal
cnvsnreddy@rediffmail.com
Rama Krishna B.
Department of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Warangal

ABSTRACT: For an efficient and economical design of the railway track system, it is necessary to understand the
behaviour of each component with a special emphasis on the ballast and subgrade which play a pivotal role in
distributing the cyclic wheel loads longitudinally, laterally, and vertically away from the wheel contact area on the rail
surface. This paper presents an analytical model of a railway track-ballast-subgrade system using the mass-spring-
dashpot model with two degrees of freedom system. Effect of the cyclic rail load on granular and subgrade layer in terms
of dynamic displacement and acceleration with the variation of time is reported. The improvement over the existing
results based on the single degree of freedom system can be observed.

1. INTRODUCTION in which, P is equivalent single wheel load; B,Le are the

Geotextile fabrics placed at clay subgrades serve the
functions of separation, filtration, drainage and
reinforcement and as a result, design pavement thickness
reduces and performance improves. So, researchers have
tried to develop design methodologies for fabric
reinforced flexible pavements. In the process, effect of
fabric deformation shape on fabric stiffness requirement
has been studied and found to vary significantly with
different shapes considered (Satyanarayana Reddy and
Rama Moorthy 2005; Natarajan et al. 1989). Among
available methods, Giroud and Noiray method is
somewhat rational except for parabolic fabric
deformation. So, in the present study an improved method
of design has been presented to evaluate Giroud and
Noiray method over a high compressible clay subgrade.
2. GIROUD & NOIRAY METHOD OF DESIGN
Quasi-static analysis based design has been proposed by
Giroud and Noiray (1981) for unreinforced and reinforced
pavements over saturated clay subgrades. Equations 1 and
2 have been developed to evaluate pavement thickness in
unreinforced and reinforced cases by equating the vertical
stress at subgrade due to wheel load and overburden to
elastic and ultimate bearing capacities of subgrade soil.
P equations 4 and 1. Giroud and Noiray have recommended
= π c u . . . . . (1 )
(B + 2 h 0 T a n α )( L e + 2 h 0 T a n α )
P T
− = (π + 2) cu ....... ( 2)
( B + 2hRTanα )( Le + 2hRTanα ) a
2
a 1+
2s
effective width and length of load contact; Cu is undrained
cohesion of subgrade; ho,hR are the design pavement
thickness in unreinforced and reinforced cases; T is
tension induced in reinforcing fabric; a is half of the load
dispersion width at subgrade; α = load dispersion angle
with vertical (taken to be 30.960)
For parabolic deformation of fabric shown in Fig. 1, strain
induced is calculated using Equation 3(a) or 3(b).
b
b + b'
∈= − 1 for a' > a …(3a) ∈= −1 for a > a'…(3b)
a+a '
a
where, 2a = B + 2h Tan α; 2a'= e – 2a; e is dual wheel
spacing on axle; b,b' are the half lengths of parabolas p,p'.
β 2a 2a’ 2a β
p
Initial location of Geotextile
p s r s
Fig. 1 Fabric deformed shape at subgrade (Giroud &Noiray)
As the design is based on quasi-static analysis, Equation 4
for determination of unreinforced pavement thickness (ho')
accounting for traffic has been given in which ho' is in m;
axle load P in N (no. of passes); rut depth r in m; cu in
kN/m2. Additional pavement thickness required for traffic
is calculated as the difference of values obtained from
to add the same to reinforced flexible pavement thickness
obtained from quasi-static analysis to account for traffic.
h0' =
119.24log N + 470.98log P − 279.01r − 2283.34
........(4)
Cu 0.63

735
 IGC 2006, 14-16 December 2006, Chennai, INDIA
3. PROPOSED METHOD OF DESIGN
The following considerations are involved in the design.
Subgrade bearing capacity is reduced by 20 percent to
account for moving wheel loads.
The soil subgrade is subjected to vertical pressure of 80
percent of its safe bearing capacity (qs) due to membrane
effect of Geotextile fabric at subgrade.
Initially under wheel loads, the overlying pavement
material tend to punch into soft subgrade and as a result
geotextile at subgrade gets strained and derives tensile
strength to support the loading.
The deformed fabric will have right angle kinks along the
boundaries of load dispersion followed by elliptical
deformed shape on either side (Fig. 2).
Geotextile fabrics are held in position by anchorage in
longitudinal trenches made in shoulders of pavement.
2:1 load dispersion occurs in pavement (α=26.60)
Elliptical Deformed Shape
B+2hR Tan α B+2hR Tan α
Fig. 2 Deformed Fabric Shape at Subgrade
T q
T
0.3L
0.8 qs
B+2hR Tan α
L 6. CONCLUSIONS
Fig. 3 Free body diagram Fig. 4 Shape of tyre contact area
f d thickness
The design f d f bofi reinforced flexible pavement is
selected such that vertical stress due to wheel load and
overburden (q) at subgrade is less than 0.8 times ultimate
bearing capacity of soil to prevent shear movements. For a
selected pavement thickness, using Fig. 3, the tension
developed in the reinforcing fabric can be worked out
using Equation 5. The stain ( ) associated for a settlement
(s) at subgrade can be calculated using Equation 6.
(q − 0.8qs )(B + 2hR tanα) 2s
T= .....(5) ∈=
2 B + 2hR tanα
4. REINFORCED FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT
DESIGN
Reinforced flexible pavement designs using Giroud &
Noiray and propsed methods have been done for a local
high compressible clay subgrade (wL=66.5%, wP=27.6%
and percent Fines=59) having an undrained cohesion of 26
kN/m2 at a dry unit weight of 15.3 kN/m3. The width (b)
and length (L) of tyre contact (Fig. 4) have been
determined by taking an axle load of 10.2 t with dual
wheel configuration and a tyre contact pressure of 551.3
View publication stats
kN/m2. Keeping width constant, the length (Le) of
equivalent rectangular area of contact has been worked
out. Effective width of load contact (B) is taken as sum of
tyre contact width and spacing of tyres. The design data
from the two methods of design for a permisible
settlement (s) of 25mm at subgrade is given in Table 1.
Table 1. Design Data of Reinforced Flexible Pavements
Design Giroud&Noiray method Proposed method
thickness Tensile Strain Tensile Strain
(mm) strength strength (%)
(%)
(kN/m) (kN/m)
500 56 0.18 18.5 5.1
600 5.6 0.15 15.3 4.6
5. DISCUSSION
Data presented in Table 1indicates that Giroud & Noiray
method leads to stiffer fabric and stiffness requirement
decreases with increase in pavement thickness. It can be
attributed to parabolic deformed shape of fabric. Further,
subgrade it can be seen that the proposed method of design gives
reasonable estimate of fabric stiffness as uniform
deformation at subgrade results from initial punching of
overlying material under wheel loads and is also justified
from the concept of reinforced soil beds over soft clays
b (Binquet and Lee, 1975).
0.3 L
Giroud and Noiray method leads to over estimate of fabric
stiffness requirement over High Compressible clay
subgrades. So, Reinforced flexible pavements over such
subgrades are to be designed by considering uniform
deformation at subgrade instead of parabolic deformation.
REFERENCES
Binquet, J and Lee, K.L (1975) Bearing capacity analysis
of reinforced earth slabs. Journal Geotechnical
×100.....(6)
Engineering, ASCE, Vol: 101, GT. 12., pp 1241-1276.
Giroud, J.P and Noiray, L (1981) Design of geotextile
reinforced unpaved roads. Journal of Geotechnical
Engineering Division, ASCE, Vol: 107, GT. 9, pp 1233-
1254.
Natarajan, T.K., Mathur, S and Murthy, A.V.S.R (1989)
Geotextiles in road pavements – An analytical report.
Journal of Indian Roads Congress, Vol: 47, No.2, pp
363-375.
Satyanarayana Reddy, C.N.V and Rama Moorthy, N.V
(2005) Significance of fabric deformation shape at
subgrade in design of reinforced flexible pavements.
Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, Vol: 36, No.3, pp
195-201.
736