EFFECT OF PILE ASPECT RATIO ON GEOGRID REINFORCED PILED

EMBANKMENTS

1 2 3 4
Sreelekshmy. S *, Radhika. M. Patel , B. R. Jayalekshmi and R. Shivashankar

ABSTRACT: Population explosion demands an increasing need for infrastructure development which
forces engineers to construct roads on loose sands and soft clayey deposits. But, such soils cannot sustain
external loads without having large deformations. In the case of bridge embankments built on these soils,
maintaining the surface level between the bridge and the embankment has always been a cumbersome task. To
overcome this scenario, many ground improvement techniques are available. Among all the techniques, geogrid
reinforced piled embankment system (GRPES) is preferred nowadays due to its reliability. A 4m high
embankment having 20m crest width with side slope of 1V:1.5H supported over a 20m soil stratum has been
considered with two types of foundation soil namely, soft clay and loose sand. Geogrid layer has been placed
500mm above the pile head for uniform load transfer. 2D finite element analysis is carried out to study the effect
of pile aspect ratio (in the range of 6 to 18) on settlement behavior of GRPES. It has been identified from the
results that the pile aspect ratio is a significant parameter in settlement reduction of GRPES.

Keywords: Aspect ratio, pile foundations, geogrid reinforcement, finite element analysis.

1
PG Scholar, NITK, Surathkal, Karnataka. e-mail:lechusree93@gmail.com
2
Ph.D Scholar, NITK, Surathkal, Karnataka.e-mail:radikagmpatel@gmail.com
3
Associate Professor, NITK, Surathkal, Karnataka.e-mail:br.jaya@gmail.com
4
Professor, NITK, Surathkal, Karnataka. e-mail:shivashankar.surathkal@gmail.com