Analytical and Numerical Studies of Geosynthetic Tubes Resting on Deformable Foundations

Geosynthetic tube has been used for dike constructions on soft ground. We need methods to design geosynthetic tubes that rest on deformable foundation. In this paper, 2D analytical and numerical methods are proposed to analyze the stress and deformation of the impermeable geosynthetic tubes resting on deformable foundation. The analytical method is proposed by using the 1D consolidation relationship or the e-log-p curve as an approximation. As the stress-strain relationship is nonlinear, this method is better than the Winkler method. The vertical pressure distribution in the soil is calculated using the Boussinesq equation. Numerical analyses are also carried out to evaluate the accuracy of the proposed method and to achieve good agreement between the results from the analytical method and those from the numerical methods.