DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF REINFORCED SLOPE USING GEOGRID

Abstract

This study investigated the use of geogrids for ground improvement based on numerical analysis using Plaxis and Geostudio software. Owing to the low shear strength and excessive settlement of the sandy soil, geogrids materials were used to reinforce the soil taking advantage of their good tensile strength. Geogrids were applied in three layers after the design output. The reinforced mechanism of geogrids was analyzed based on modelling outputs and results. Output results from the Plaxis and Geostudio software showed a significant decrease in displacement and increase in factor of safety after reinforcing the soil with geogrids materials. The total displacement in the unreinforced slope is 670.67 mm which reduced to 19.30 mm when reinforced with geogrids. This reduction is over 900 % of the original total settlement. The slope was also analyzed for different amounts of surcharge in both reinforced and unreinforced case. The effect of groundwater fluctuation and rapid drawdown of water were analyzed. The influence of rainfall intensity and duration is also analyzed. The factor of safety results after the analysis are compared with different parameters. Based on the results of this study, it was concluded that geogrids could be used as soil reinforcement materials to improve the shear strength of the soil and reduce its settlement potential significantly.