Evaluation of a Geogrid-Reinforced Soil Mat to Mitigate Post-Liquefaction Settlements — A Case Study

The use of geogrid reinforced soil mats has become a viable method to mitigate differential settlements caused by deformations in the underlying soils, including those resulting from fault rupture and seismically induced settlements. In this paper a case study is presented where numerical modeling was used to evaluate the effectiveness of geogrid reinforced soil to mitigate as much as 100 mm of differential seismic settlement. The subsurface investigation, which made extensive use of the cone penetration test, is first presented. Using this information, numerical models were then developed. Descriptions of the modeling procedures are presented and important/sensitive aspects of the models are discussed. The results of the modeling are presented and observations are made regarding performance of the geogrid-reinforced soil system. Areas where additional studies are warranted are identified.