Understanding the in-situ forces for selection of geocell material properties in soil reinforcement
Arghya Chatterjee, Sanat Pokharel, Cheng Lin
In the proceedings of: GeoManitoba 2025: 78th Canadian Geotechnical Conference & 9th Canadian Permafrost ConferenceSession: Geosynthetics Ground Improvement
ABSTRACT: Geosynthetics are increasingly used for soil reinforcement in load support applications for infrastructure resilience, especially in projects requiring long-term stability. Geocells (cellular confinement systems), with their three-dimensional honeycomb geometry, develop the slab effect. While geometry plays a key role, the properties of reinforcing materials also significantly impact performance. Material quality is often assessed using manufacturer-stated index properties. Through a three-year study in Sturgeon County, Alberta, some in-situ forces were exposed which can significantly affect the design life of the reinforcement. Data from pressure cells showed residual stress after traffic loads, likely due to particle rearrangement under load. This stress, though low, persists long enough to impact the design life of the pavement.
RÉSUMÉ: Les géosynthétiques sont de plus en plus utilisés pour le renforcement des sols dans les applications de support de charge pour la résilience des infrastructures, en particulier dans les projets exigeant une stabilité à long terme. Les géocellules (systèmes de confinement cellulaire), avec leur géométrie tridimensionnelle en nid d'abeille, peuvent générer un effet de dalle. Si la géométrie joue un rôle clé, les propriétés des matériaux de renforcement ont également un impact significatif sur leurs performances. La qualité des matériaux est souvent évaluée à l'aide des indices de propriétés indiqués par le fabricant. Une étude de trois ans menés dans le comté de Sturgeon, en Alberta, a mis en évidence certaines forces in situ pouvant affecter significativement la durée de vie du renforcement. Les données des cellules de pression ont montré une contrainte résiduelle après les charges de circulation, probablement due au réarrangement des particules sous charge. Cette contrainte, bien que faible, persiste suffisamment longtemps pour impacter la durée de vie de la chaussée supportant la charge.
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Chatterjee, Arghya, Pokharel, Sanat, Lin, Cheng (2025) Understanding the in-situ forces for selection of geocell material properties in soil reinforcement in GEO2025. Ottawa, Ontario: Canadian Geotechnical Society.
@inproceedings{Chatterjee_GEO2025_12,
author = {{Chatterjee, Arghya}, {Pokharel, Sanat}, {Lin, Cheng}}
title = {Understanding the in-situ forces for selection of geocell material properties in soil reinforcement }
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 78th Canadian Geotechnical Conference & 9th Canadian Permafrost Conference}
year = {2025}
organization = {The Canadian Geotechnical Society},
address = {Ottawa, Canada} }
title = {Understanding the in-situ forces for selection of geocell material properties in soil reinforcement }
booktitle = {Proceedings of the 78th Canadian Geotechnical Conference & 9th Canadian Permafrost Conference}
year = {2025}
organization = {The Canadian Geotechnical Society},
address = {Ottawa, Canada} }