An Effective and Economic Solution to Ground Improvement

Poor ground usually has characteristics such as high-water content, low strength, easy compression and deformation, and is significantly affected by earthquakes. Therefore, it is necessary to truly understand the engineering characteristics of soft soils and adopt appropriate engineering treatment methods to ensure construction safety, the long-term stability and functionality of engineering structures.

It has been proven that geosynthetics reinforcement can effectively solve the problems that may occur such as earth embankments over soft foundation soils and areas prone to subsidence.

Basal Reinforcement Beneath Embankment

Controlling stability of embankment construction and resisting rotational foundation failure due to weak shear strength can be assisted by the use of geosynthetic materials with high tensile strength, tensile modulus, and geosynthetics/soils interface shear resistance such as high strength woven geotextile ACETex® or geogrid ACEGrid®.

Diagram 1 & 2

Advantages of geosynthetic basal reinforcement solution:

• Quicker

• Embankments can be constructed higher and/or with steeper side slopes

• Controls embankment settlements

• Prevents overall failure of the embankment

The geosynthetic provides additional shear resistance to the soil. As a result, the design is no longer solely based on the shear strength of the subgrade soil.

Reference: BS 8006-1:2010

Piled Embankment with Basal Reinforcement

Piled embankments consisting of a reinforced soil platform on piles are able to maximize the spacing of piles efficiently and allow embankments to be constructed to unrestricted heights with controlled post-construction settlements.

The high-strength structural geotextile ACETex® or woven geogrid ACEGrid® can be used as an integral part of piled embankments. Load transfer platforms using ACETex®/ACEGrid® can transfer the load of the earth embankment to the pile foundation and offset the horizontal thrust caused by the the earth embankment fill. Piled embankments combined with reinforced soil platforms and ACETex®/ACEGrid® effectively reduce soft soil settlement and construction time and cost.

Diagram 3

Advantages of Geosynthetic solution for piled embankments:

• Basal reinforcement may be used to bridge across the tops of pile caps to distribute the load, and maximize the economic benefits of piles installed in soft foundations.

• Basal reinforcement spanning across the pile caps may be used to transfer the embankment loading onto the piles.

• Basal reinforcement may be used to permit the spacing of the piles to be increased and the size of the pile caps to be reduced.

In addition, the reinforcement may be used to counteract the horizontal thrust of the embankment fill and the need for raking piles along the extremities of the foundation can be eliminated.

Reference: BS 8006-1:2010

Embankments Overbridging Sinkholes

Sinkholes are naturally occurring geohazards that can rapidly worsen and cause extensive damage to roads and structures, leading to expensive repairs. Embankments overbridging sinkholes using the high-strength woven geotextile ACETex® or Global Synthetics high-strength geogrids can limit the vertical differential deformation of the structure surface and reduce the risk when sinkholes or mining voids occur.

Reference: BS 8006-1:2010

Geotextiles, geogrids and other geosynthetics products from Global Synthetics have been used successfully for basal reinforcement design throughout Australia, New Zealand, and the greater Oceania Region.

At Global Synthetics, we connect knowledge and experience across our global network to help clients solve their most complex challenges. Our knowledgeable sales and technical departments support our innovative product solutions. Based on many years of design experience, construction experience and product reliability testing, we are on hand to assist you with your next project. Contact us today to ensure your next project benefits from our extensive experience and tailored advice.