Model Studies on Geocell-Reinforced Fly Ash Bed Overlying Soft Clay
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 28, Issue 2
Abstract
This paper addresses the effectiveness of geocell mattress prepared with waste plastic bottles with fly ash as a filling material overlying soft clay bed through laboratory model tests. The test beds were subjected to loading by means of a square rigid steel plate as a footing. The effect of height and width of geocell mattress as well as basal bamboo geogrid underneath geocell mattress on overall performance of the system in terms of footing pressure, settlement, and the adjacent surface deformation (heave/settlement) has been systematically studied through a series of tests. Test results indicate around twofold increases in the bearing pressure by placing a jute geotextile separator beneath the unreinforced fly ash bed, whereas reinforcing the fly ash bed with geocell mattress in presence of a basal bamboo geogrid and jute geotextile separator can produce sevenfold increases in the footing pressure. Inclusion of a basal bamboo geogrid improves overall behavior of the reinforced bed. No surface deformation occurred in the unreinforced beds. Inclusion of a geocell mattress improves the footing pressure, but creates surface deformation (heave/settlement). Increase in height as well as width of geocell mattress not only diminishes the surface heaving but also increases the footing pressure. As the present study carries limitation of boundary and scale effects, the quantitative results must be extrapolated by dimensional analysis before use in practical applications or a field study is required. However, the qualitative results encourage the use of waste plastic bottles for soft ground improvement, which in turn may solve the disposal issue to a certain extent.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
Adams, T. M., and Collin, J. G. (1997). “Large model spread footing load tests on geosynthetic reinforced soil foundations.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 66–72.
ASTM. (2010a). “Standard test method for measuring mass per unit area of geotextiles.”, West Conshohocken, PA.
ASTM. (2010b). “Standard test methods for specific gravity of soil solids by water pycnometer.”, West Conshohocken, PA.
ASTM. (2011a). “Standard practice for classification of soil for engineering purpose (unified soil classification system).”, West Conshohocken, PA.
ASTM. (2011b). “Standard test method for breaking force and elongation of textile fabrics (strip method).”, West Conshohocken, PA.
ASTM. (2011c). “Standard test method for consolidated drained triaxial compression test for soils.”, West Conshohocken, PA.
ASTM. (2011d). “Standard test method for tensile properties of geotextiles by the wide-width strip method.”, West Conshohocken, PA.
ASTM. (2012a). “Standard specification for coal fly ash and raw or calcined natural pozzolan for use in concrete.”, West Conshohocken, PA.
ASTM. (2012b). “Standard test method for determining apparent opening size of a geotextile.”, West Conshohocken, PA.
ASTM. (2012c). “Standard test method for measuring nominal thickness of geosynthetics.”, West Conshohocken, PA.
ASTM. (2012d). “Standard test methods for laboratory compaction characteristics of soil using standard effort ( ()).”, West Conshohocken, PA.
Avesani Neto, J. O., Bueno, B. S., and Futai, M. M. (2013). “A bearing capacity calculation method for soil reinforced with a geocell.” Geosynth. Int., 20(3), 129–142.
Bathurst, R. J., and Karpurapu, R. (1993). “Large-scale triaxial compression testing of geocell-reinforced granular soils.” Geotech. Test. J., 16(3), 296–303.
Baykal, G., Edinçliler, A., and Saygili, A. (2004). “Highway embankment construction using fly ash in cold regions.” Resour. Conserv. Recycl., 42(3), 209–222.
Biswas, A., Murali Krishna, A., and Dash, S. K. (2013). “Influence of subgrade strength on the performance of geocell-reinforced foundation systems.” Geosynth. Int., 20(6), 376–388.
Butterfield, R. (1999). “Dimensional analysis for geotechnical engineers.” Geotech., 49(3), 357–366.
Carter, G. R., and Dixon, J. H. (1995). “Oriented polymer grid reinforcement.” Constr. Build. Mater., 9(6), 389–401.
Chen, R.-H., Huang, Y.-W., Huang, F.-C. (2013). “Confinement effect of geocells on sand samples under triaxial compression.” Geotext. Geomembr., 37, 35–44.
Chu, T. Y., Davidson, D. T., Goecker, W. L., and Moh, Z. C. (1955). “Soil stabilization with lime fly ash mixtures: Preliminary studies with silty and clayey soils.” Highway Res. Board Bull., 108, 102–112.
Chummar, A. V. (1972). “Bearing capacity theory from experimental results.” J. Soil Mech. Found. Div., 98(12), 1311–1324.
Dash, S. K., Krishnaswamy, N. R., and Rajagopal, K. (2001). “Bearing capacity of strip footings supported on geocell-reinforced sand.” Geotext. Geomembr., 19(4), 235–256.
Dash, S. K., Rajagopal, K., and Krishnaswamy, N. R. (2004). “Performance of different geosynthetic reinforcement materials in sand foundations.” Geosynth. Int., 11(1), 35–42.
Dash, S. K., Sireesh, S., and Sitharam, T. G. (2003a). “Behaviour of geocell reinforced sand beds under circular footing.” Ground Improv., 7(3), 111–115.
Dash, S. K., Sireesh, S., and Sitharam, T. G. (2003b). “Model studies on circular footing supported on geocell reinforced sand underlain by soft clay.” Geotext. Geomembr., 21(4), 197–219.
de Garidel, R., and Morel, G. (1986). “New soil strengthening techniques by textile elements for low volume roads.” Proc., 3rd Int. Conf. on Geotextiles, Balkema, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 1027–1032.
DiGioia, A. M., and Nuzzo, W. L. (1972). “Fly ash as structural fill.” J. Power Div., 98(1), 77–92.
Dolat Capital. (2011). “Plastics commodity to custom products: Redefining perception.” N. Shah and M. Ariyanfar, eds., Mumbai, India, 90.
Dutta, S., and Mandal, J. N. (2013). “Feasibility study on waste plastic water bottles as encasements of stone columns for ground improvement.” Int. Symp. on Design and Practice of Geosynthetic-Reinforced Soil Structures, Univ. of Bologna, Bologna, Italy, 379–388.
Fakher, A., and Jones, C. J. F. P. (1996). “Discussion of ‘Bearing capacity of rectangular footings on geogrid reinforced sand,’ by Yetimoglu, T., Wu, J. T. H. and Saglamer, A.” J. Geotech. Eng., 122(4), 326–327.
FAU. (2013). “FLYASH utilisation.” 2nd Annual Int. Summit, Ministry of Coal, Ministry of Power, Ministry of Environment and Forest and Ministry of Science and Technology, NDCC II Convention Centre, New Delhi, India.
Ghosh, A., and Dey, U. (2009). “Bearing ratio of reinforced fly ash overlying soft soil and deformation modulus of fly ash.” Geotext. Geomembr., 27(4), 313–320.
Ghosh, A., Ghosh, A., and Bera, A. K. (2005). “Bearing capacity of square footing on pond ash reinforced with jute-geotextiles.” Geotext. Geomembr., 23(2), 144–173.
Ghosh, A., and Subbarao, C. (2006). “Tensile strength bearing ratio and slake durability of class F fly ash stabilized with lime and gypsum.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng., 18–27.
Ghosh, R. K., Chadda, L. R., Pant, C. S., and Sharma, R. K. (1973). “Stabilization of alluvial soil with lime and fly ash.” Indian Road Congr., 35(2), 489–511.
Goecker, W. L., Moh, Z. C., Davidson, D. T., and Chu, T. Y. (1956). “Stabilization of fine and coarse-grained soils with lime-fly ash admixtures.” Highway Res. Board Bull., 129, 63–82.
Gray, D. H., and Lin, Y.-K. (1972). “Engineering properties of compacted fly ash.” J. Soil Mech. Found. Div., 98(4), 361–380.
Henkel, D. J., and Gilbert, G. D. (1952). “The effect of the rubber membrane on the measured triaxial compression strength of clay samples.” Geotech., 3(1), 20–29.
Joshi, R. C., McMaster, H. M., and Duncan, D. M. (1975). “New and conventional engineering uses of fly ash.” Transp. Eng. J., 101(4), 791–806.
Kanojia, R. K., Kanawjia, S. K., and Srivastava, P. C. (2001). “Utilisation of fly ash in agriculture: A potential soil amendment for increasing crop yields.” Indian Farming, 29–32.
Kaushik, N. P., and Ramasamy, G. (1999). “Performance of compacted ash test fills.” Fly ash disposal and deposition, U. Dayal, R. Sinha, and V. Kumar, eds., Narosa Publishing House, New Delhi, India, 149–155.
Kim, B., Prezzi, M., and Salgado, R. (2005). “Geotechnical properties of fly and bottom ash mixtures for use in highway embankments.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 914–924.
Kim, S. S., and Chun, B. S. (1994). “The study on a practical use of wasted coal fly ash for coastal reclamation.” 13th Int. Conf. on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, CRC Press, London, 1607–1612.
Koerner, R. M. (1994). Designing with geosynthetics, 3rd Ed., Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
Krishnaswamy, N. R., Rajagopal, K., and Latha, G. M. (2000). “Model studies on geocell supported embankments constructed over soft clay foundation.” Geotech. Test. J., 23(1), 45–54.
Leshchinsky, B., and Ling, H. (2013). “Effects of geocell confinement on strength and deformation behavior of gravel.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 340–352.
Madhavi Latha, G., and Murthy, V. S. (2007). “Effects of reinforcement from on the behaviour of geosynthetic reinforced sand.” Geotex. Geomembr., 25(1), 23–32.
Madhavi Latha, G., Rajagopal, K., and Krishnaswamy, N. R. (2006). “Experimental and theoretical investigations on geocell-supported embankments.” Int. J. Geomech., 30–35.
Madhavi Latha, G., and Somwanshi, A. (2009). “Effect of reinforcement form on the bearing capacity of square footings on sand.” Geotext. Geomembr., 27(6), 409–422.
Mahiskar, S. Y., and Mandal, J. N. (1996). “Investigation on soft clay subgrade strengthening using geocells.” Constr. Build. Mater., 10(4), 281–286.
Milligan, G. W. E., Fannin, R. J., and Farrar, D. M. (1986). “Model and full-scale tests of granular layers reinforced with a geogrid.” Proc., 3rd Int. Conf. on Geotextiles, Vol. 1, Industrial Fabrics Association International, Roseville, MN, 61–66.
Moghaddas Tafreshi, S. N., and Dawson, A. R. (2010a). “Behaviour of footings on reinforced sand subjected to repeated loading comparing use of 3D and planar geotextile.” Geotext. Geomembr., 28(5), 434–447.
Moghaddas Tafreshi, S. N., and Dawson, A. R. (2010b). “Comparison of bearing capacity of a strip footing on sand with geocell and with planar forms of geotextile reinforcement.” Geotext. Geomembr., 28(1), 72–84.
Moghaddas Tafreshi, S. N., and Dawson, A. R. (2012). “A comparison of static and cyclic loading responses of foundations on geocell-reinforced sand.” Geotext. Geomembr., 32, 55–68.
Moghaddas Tafreshi, S. N., Khalaj, O., and Dawson, A. R. (2014). “Repeated loading of soil containing granulated rubber and multiple geocell layers.” Geotext. Geomembr., 42(1), 25–38.
NIIR Project Consultancy Services (NPCS). Pet bottle recycling, 〈http://www.niir.org/profiles/profile/2045/pet-bottle-recycling.html〉 (Dec. 9, 2013).
Perpetual Global. “We have the ability to treat the ‘untreatable’.” 〈http://www.perpetual-global.com/our-approach/feedstock〉 (Dec. 9, 2013).
Pokharel, S., et al. (2011). “Accelerated pavement testing of geocell-reinforced unpaved roads over weak subgrade.”, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC.
Pokharel, S. K., Han, J., Leshchinsky, D., Parsons, R. L., and Halahmi, I. (2010). “Investigation of factors influencing behavior of single geocell-reinforced bases under static loading.” J. Geotext. Geomembr., 28(6), 570–578.
Presto. (2008). Geoweb load support system—Technical overview, Presto Products, Appleton, WI.
Rajagopal, K., Krishnaswamy, N. R., and Madhavi Latha, G. (1999). “Behaviour of sand confined with single and multiple geocells.” Geotext. Geomembr., 17(3), 171–184.
Ram Rathan Lal, B., and Mandal, J. N. (2012). “Feasibility study on fly ash as backfill material in cellular reinforced walls.” Electron. J. Geotech. Eng., 17(J), 1437–1458.
Ram Rathan Lal, B., and Mandal, J. N. (2013). “Study of cellular reinforced fly ash under triaxial loading conditions.” Int. J. Geotech. Eng., 7(1), 91–104.
Ram Rathan Lal, B., and Mandal, J. N. (2014a). “Behavior of cellular-reinforced fly-ash walls under strip loading.” J. Hazard. Toxic Radioact. Waste Manage, 45–55.
Ram Rathan Lal, B., and Mandal, J. N. (2014b). “Model tests on geocell walls under strip loading.” Geotech. Test. J., 37(3), 477–487.
Raymond, S. (1958). “The utilisation of pulverised fuel ash.” Civ. Eng. Public Works Rev., 53, 1013–1016.
Saride, S., Vedpathak, S., and Rayabharapu, V. (2014). “Elasto-plastic behavior of jute-geocell reinforced sand subgrade.” Geo-Congress 2014, GSP 234, ASCE, Reston, VA, 2911–2920.
Satyanarayana Reddy, C. N. V., and Rama Moorthy, N. V. (2004). “Geo-technical investigations into flexible pavement design over a clay subgrade.” Proc., Indian Geotechnical Conf., Indian Geotechnical Society, New Delhi, India, 514–517.
Selig, E. T., and McKee, K. E. (1961). “Static and dynamic behaviour of small footings.” J. Soil Mech. Found. Div., 87(SM6), 29–47.
Sireesh, S., Sitharam, T. G., and Dash, S. K. (2009). “Bearing capacity of circular footing on geocell-sand mattress overlying clay bed with void.” Geotext. Geomembr., 27(2), 89–98.
Sitharam, T. G., and Sireesh, S. (2005). “Behaviour of embedded footings supported on geogrid cell reinforced foundation beds.” Geotech. Test. J., 28(5), 452–463.
Sitharam, T. G., Sireesh, S., and Dash, S. K. (2005). “Model studies of a circular footing supported on geocell-reinforced clay.” Can. Geotech. J., 42(2), 693–703.
Sitharam, T. G., Sireesh, S., and Dash, S. K. (2007). “Performance of surface footing on geocell-reinforced soft clay beds.” Geotech. Geol. Eng., 25(5), 509–524.
Tanyu, B. F., Aydilek, A. H., Lau, A. W., Edil, T. B., and Benson, C. H. (2013). “Laboratory evaluation of geocell-reinforced gravel subbase over poor subgrades.” Geosynth. Int., 20(2), 47–61.
Tastan, E. O., Edil, T. B., Benson, C. H., and Aydilek, A. H. (2011). “Stabilization of organic soils with fly ash.” J. Geotech. Geoenviron. Eng., 819–833.
Tranié, J.-P., and Tandon, V. (2012). “Recycling and innovation in India: PerPETual global.” Private Sector & Development (PS&D) Magazine, C. Périou, ed., PROPARCO, Group Agence Française de Développement (AFD), Paris.
Vasquez, E., and Alonso, E. E. (1981). “Fly ash stabilization of decomposed granite.” Proc., 10th Int. Conf. on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, Balkema, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 391–395.
Viskochil, R. K., Handy, R. L., and Davidson, D. T. (1957). “Effect of density on strength of lime-fly ash stabilized soil.” Highway Res. Board Bull., 183, 5–15.
Webster, S. L. (1979). “Investigation of beach sand trafficability enhancement using sand-grid confinement and membrane reinforcement concepts.”, U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, MS.
Wesseloo, J., Visser, A. T., and Rust, E. (2009). “The stress-strain behaviour of multiple geocell packs.” Geotext. Geomembr., 27(1), 31–38.
Yang, X., et al. (2012). “Accelerated pavement testing of unpaved roads with geocell-reinforced sand bases.” Geotext. Geomembr., 32(1), 95–103.
Yoon, Y. W., Heo, S. B., and Kim, K. S. (2008). “Geotechnical performance of waste tires for soil reinforcement from chamber tests.” Geotext. Geomembr., 26(1), 100–107.
Zhou, H., and Wen, X. (2008). “Model studies on geogrid or geocell-reinforced sand cushion on soft soil.” Geotext. Geomembr., 26(3), 231–238.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 28 • Issue 2 • February 2016
Copyright
© 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 25, 2014
Accepted: Apr 8, 2015
Published online: Jun 23, 2015
Discussion open until: Nov 23, 2015
Published in print: Feb 1, 2016
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.