Numerical investigation of the performance of geocell-reinforced granular base in inverted pavement systems using nonlinear finite element modeling

Abstract

The quality of granular base materials plays a key role in the enhanced performance of inverted pavement systems (IPSs). Typically, premium-quality materials are required for the construction of IPS structures. This study investigates the feasibility of geocell reinforcement of lower quality materials to be used as an alternative when premium base materials are not available. To this end, 16 different pavement structures were studied using nonlinear finite element (NL-FEM) models in ABAQUS. The results are validated using those of a full-scale field project, which confirms the reliability of the developed FEM model. It was concluded that geocell reinforcement of granular base layer can increase the fatigue and rutting performances. In all the cases, lower quality aggregates with reinforcement exhibited better performance than the non-reinforced base materials with premium aggregate quality. The findings confirm that in the absence of premium-quality aggregates, good-performing inverted pavement structures can still be achieved.