Plastic shakedown limit of geosynthetic reinforced coarse-grained soil: Experiments and prediction model

Abstract

This study aims to explore the accumulated behavior of reinforced coarse-grained soils through cyclic triaxial tests and to develop a prediction model for the plastic shakedown limit. Cyclic triaxial test results illustrate that the reinforced specimens, especially those incorporating geocells, demonstrate the lowest accumulated axial strain and the highest plastic shakedown limit when compared to unreinforced ones under identical cyclic loading. Additionally, the accumulated axial strain at the plastic shakedown limit for reinforced specimens is determined. This strain is then used to determine the additional confining pressure exerted by geogrid or geocell, employing a function proposed by Yang and Han. By integrating the additional confining pressure into the plastic shakedown criterion for unreinforced specimens, a prediction model for the plastic shakedown limit in reinforced specimens is ultimately established. The model's applicability and the accuracy of computed additional confining pressure values are validated using experimental data.