Performance of Geogrid-Reinforced and PTC Pile-Supported Embankment in a Highway Widening Project over Soft Soils
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Volume 145, Issue 11
Abstract
A case study of a widened highway embankment is presented, in which prestressed tubular concrete (PTC) piles and geogrids were used to reinforce the embankment and to reduce construction time. In situ measurements of earth pressures, settlements, and lateral displacements were reported and analyzed to evaluate the effectiveness of the reinforcement technologies. The instrumentation data confirm that a large portion of the embankment load is supported by the PTC piles, as quantified by a large stress concentration ratio of 6.6. Consequently, the resulting total settlement at the embankment surface and lateral displacement during and after the embankment construction were significantly reduced by using geogrids and two groups of PTC piles at different elevations of the embankment. The measurement data will be valuable for numerical simulations on pile-supported embankments and highway widening projects in the future. Lastly, a design procedure was proposed for highway widening projects based on the literature studies, and its validity was verified by this case study.
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Acknowledgments
This work is supported by Hebei University of Technology China.
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Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 145 • Issue 11 • November 2019
Copyright
©2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 25, 2018
Accepted: Jun 13, 2019
Published online: Aug 21, 2019
Published in print: Nov 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Jan 21, 2020
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