Prediction of Traffic Loading–Induced Settlement of Low-Embankment Road on Soft Subsoil

Abstract

AbstractPrediction of subsoil deformation under traffic loading requires honoring the dynamic nature of moving wheel loads and representing the stress path caused by such loads. A practical method in the framework of the layerwise summation procedure is proposed here for predicting the settlement of road overlaid on soft subsoil caused by traffic loading. The proposed method consists of a simplified approach for calculating the wheel load–induced stress and an empirical model for describing the accumulation of residual strain. Two amplification coefficients are introduced to account for the effect of moving speed on deviator stress and horizontal shear stress, respectively. The analytical solutions of the two amplification coefficients, which can be evaluated numerically, are deduced, and numerical results are presented in charts. Hence, the wheel load–induced stress in subsoil at different moving speeds can be calculated by multiplying the stress from a commonly used pseudostatic method with the values o...