Influence of geosynthetics reinforcement on liquefaction and post-liquefaction behaviors of calcareous sand

Abstract

To provide new insights into the liquefaction and post-liquefaction behaviors of calcareous sand with and without geosynthetics reinforcement, a series of multi-stage cyclic triaxial tests were conducted. The geosynthetics employed in this study include geogrid, geotextile, and geotextile-geogrid composite. The multi-stage tests consist of an initial cyclic loading applied to cause liquefaction, followed by undrained monotonic loading without excess pore pressure dissipation. The effect of different arrangements of reinforcement layer on the behaviors of calcareous sand is examined and discussed in this study. The test results indicate that a unique relationship can be observed between the double amplitude axial strain and the pore pressure ratio of calcareous sand, irrespective of the influence of reinforcement layer arrangement, providing an effective means of predicting the strain at a given pore pressure level. The liquefaction resistance of calcareous sand increases with the increase in the number of reinforcement layer and decreases with the increase in the distance from the first layer of reinforcement to the sample’s top surface. Compared to geogrid and geotextile, the proposed geotextile-geogrid composite exhibits better efficiency in enhancing the liquefaction resistance of calcareous sand. The reinforcement also accelerates the recovery of strength for liquefied calcareous sand and increases the maximum shear strength of sand at large axial strain during the post-liquefaction stage.