Research on Bearing Capacity of Geosynthetic-Reinforced and Pile-Supported Earth Platforms over Soft Soil and Analysis of Its Affecting Factors

Geosynthetic-reinforced and pile-supported earth platforms, as a new technique, provide an economic and effective solution for embankments, retaining walls, etc. constructed on soft soils; especially when rapid construction and/or strict deformation of the structure are required. Since it is different from traditional ones as pile-supported earth platform or geosynthetic reinforcement, a new method was developed to calculate its bearing capacity. In this method, such platforms were divided into inter-pile cells by adjacent piles and each cell has a column of soils, geosynthetics and piles. The equilibrium equations were established by examining the equilibrium of each cell and formulas for calculating its bearing capacity were obtained. The proposed method was validated by comparing the predictions with field observations and the factors influencing on the bearing capacity were analyzed.