Soil expansion acting within geosynthetic-reinforced embankment over sinkhole

Abstract

The appearance of sinkholes which may not be accurately observed is one of the main problems that caused the stability of construction. Among geotechnical solutions, the geosynthetic-reinforced embankment has been commonly applied due to a variety of benefits. Numerous studies have recently improved the knowledge of the complicated mechanisms acting inside the reinforcement system once a cavity appears. Many present design methods have been established to propose the necessary parameters to apply the technic to potential areas that are prone to subsidence. However, there are many calculated hypotheses based on simple assumptions that may cause the actual effect of the design including the soil expansion inside the embankment. A numerical model has been developed in the present study by using the finite element method and the soil expansion is the main objective to investigate. Considering the deformation, axial forces, and stress applied to the geosynthetics, the expansion factor is determined by two methods and it is confirmed not to be a global and uniform phenomenon.