Some Rehabilitation Schemes for Geosynthetic-Reinforced Soil Abutments on Soft Soil Foundations

Soft soil, due to its high compressibility and low strength, poses several threats to the overlying structures. The design of infrastructure founded inevitably on such incompetent foundation soils demands due diligence to accommodate for unintended adverse effects raised by excessive subsidence in such soils. Geosynthetic-reinforced soil (GRS) abutments are among the important structures constructed for different important purposes. Slope stabilization and bridge abutments are two examples of such applications. These composite structures contain different load-carrying elements, which come into play when superimposed by dead and live loads. Geosynthetics reinforcing elements, facing panels, backfill quality, underlying foundation competence, and the toe reaction condition are among the most important factors impacting the overall behavior of such structures. The existing literature in geotechnical engineering mainly focuses on the normal practice of using such walls where the foundation soil is assumed competent enough before embarking on the construction of the overlying GRS abutment. However, there are situations in civil engineering that are imposed by the harsh local and environmental conditions, and proper maintenance of the erected structure is necessary to minimize potential issues. Soft soils, found abundantly in Canada, provoke the GRS abutment system detrimentally by mobilizing extra load values at the reinforcement-facing connection points and along the length of different layers. This article explores the resilience of the GRS abutment system in handling the adverse effects of underlying soft soil. It delves into the assessment of different retrofitting measures and demonstrates their respective effectiveness.