Abstract
This paper is based on small-scale laboratory tests (1:10) of a rigid inclusion-improved soil under normal gravity. A low area improvement ratio (2.4%) under monotonic and cyclic loading was used. 3D numerical calculations are performed to model these tests. The proposed numerical modeling is performed by the finite element method (FEM) using the ABAQUS software. A representative elementary volume model is suggested for reducing the calculation time. A hypoplastic constitutive model (HYP model) is applied for the load transfer platform (LTP). A total of three geometrical configuration cases of the experimental tests are numerically considered including a rigid slab over a mattress of 100 mm on the reinforced soil, a mattress of 100 mm on the reinforced soil, and a rigid slab over a mattress of 50 mm on the reinforced soil. The proposed numerical results are compared to the experimental data and the previous numerical results of Houda. The cyclic response of the systems is shown in terms of soil arching and settlements. The decrease in pile efficacy and the cumulative settlements are exhibited. The HYP model allows to better simulate the soil arching mechanisms inside the LTP than the CYsoil model used in the Houda’s research work. A good concordance between the proposed numerical results and the experimental data was obtained.
Highlights
The rigid inclusions-reinforced soft soil, known as a piled embankment, were applied for infrastructural and industrial projects such as highway and railway embankments, bridges, retaining walls, wind turbines, oil tanks, and industrial houses
To the previous experiments, the numerical results allow to present the soil arching in terms of pile efficacy and cumulative settlements at the load transfer platforms (LTP) base
The HYP constitutive model is used for the LTP
Summary
The rigid inclusions-reinforced soft soil, known as a piled embankment, were applied for infrastructural and industrial projects such as highway and railway embankments, bridges, retaining walls, wind turbines, oil tanks, and industrial houses. Studying the LTP on the rigid inclusion-reinforced compressible soils under 50 load cycles, Houda et al [7] found that 50% of the total cumulated settlements took place after the first ten cycles and the pile efficacy increases slightly. It can be concluded that most of the numerical studies by the fact that they have used a simplified constitutive model are not able to simulate accurately rigid inclusion-reinforced soils Using these kind of constitutive models does not allow to accurately give an accurate evolution of the arching effect and the cumulation of settlements under cyclic loading. The proposed numerical modeling is carried out to investigate the behavior of rigid inclusion-improved soft soils under monotonic and cyclic loads in which the HYP model is used for the LTP. A 3D numerical modeling of the rigid inclusion-reinforced compressible soil tests under monotonic and cyclic loading is presented, in which the HYP model is considered to model the effect of cyclic loading
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