Numerical simulation of the performance of GRS walls considering freeze-thaw cycles

Abstract

In practice, little attention has been paid directly to freeze-thaw (FT) cycles during the design and analysis of geogrid-reinforced soil (GRS) walls due to a lack of relevant literature. This study investigates the pavement vertical deformation (s), panel lateral deformation (d), lateral earth pressure (σh), and geogrid strain (ε) of a field GRS wall using an ABAQUS-based numerical model considering variations of the recorded five-year ambient temperature (TR). Numerical results show that the s distribution follows a convex shape instead of the initial concave shape after FT cycles and can be divided into high, transition, and stable deformation zones. FT action alters both location and amplitude of the maximum d within the first two cycles, making the d distribution evolve from a J-shaped curve into an S-shaped one. During freezing, the developments of s and d are coordinated and can be described using a unified model; σh is larger than the Rankine active earth pressure; ε state depends on the interplay of two factors resulting from d and frost heave force. Furthermore, the hysteresis of s, d, σh, and ε with TR was discussed and several beneficial suggestions were proposed for GRS walls to avoid such FT destruction.