GEOSYNTHETICS ENGINEERING: IN THEORY AND

PRACTICE

Prof. J. N. Mandal

Department of civil engineering, IIT Bombay,

Powai , Mumbai 400076, India.
Tel.022-25767328
email: cejnm@civil.iitb.ac.in

Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

 Module - 8
LECTURE - 41
Geosynthetics for embankments on soft foundations

Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

Recap of previous lecture..

Introduction
Modes of embankment failure
Design of basal reinforced embankment (partly covered)

Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

Step 8: Foundation extrusions or squeezing out

If the foundation soil is very soft (cohesive soil) beneath

the embankment to a limiting depth of less than the width
of slope, soil may squeeze out due to the outward shear
stresses as shown in Figure below.

Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

A layer of basal reinforcement can be placed between the
embankment fill and foundation soil to resist the lateral
squeezing due to mobilized outward shear stresses.

Basal reinforcement must fulfill the following two criteria:

i) It should resist or undertake the sufficient lateral load in

the foundation soil.

ii) Tensile strength of the basal reinforcement can

withstand the desired load.

Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

Forces causing squeezing out of the foundation soil:

Forces causing foundation extrusion

Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

As the foundation soil is saturated, friction angle (f) = 0

Co-efficient of active earth pressure (Ka)

= tan 2 (45 - f/2) = 1

Co-efficient of passive earth pressure (Kp)

= tan 2 (45 + f/2) = 1

The following relationship can be written:

PA = 0.5.f.Hf2 Ka - 2.cf. Hf Ka + qe1. Hf Ka

= 0.5. f. Hf2 - 2.cf. Hf + qe1. Hf

PB = 0.5. f.Hf2.Kp + 2.cf. Hf. Kp

= 0.5. f. Hf2 + 2.cf. Hf
Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
PA = active earth pressure force causing the foundation to
squeeze out,
PB = horizontal force due to passive resistance of the
foundation soil,
cf = undrained shear strength of the foundation soil,
Hf = thickness of the foundation soil,
qe1 = surcharge on the foundation soil under edge of the
crest = e. He + qs
He = height of the embankment
qs = surcharge on the top of the embankment
e = unit weight of embankment fill
f = unit weight of foundation soil
Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
Shear force at the top of the foundation block in EF portion
(Tt) = (Ca + vt tanf) x Ls = Ca Ls
f = friction angle between reinforcement and foundation
soil = 0 (The soil is completely saturated)
vt = vertical pressure over LS portion of foundation soil
Ls = minimum length of the side slope
Ca = adhesion between geosynthetic and soil

Shear force at the bottom of the foundation block in GH

portion (Tb) = (cf + vb tanf) x Ls = cf Ls
cf = undrained shear strength of the foundation soil,
vb = vertical pressure at the bottom of LS portion of
foundation soil
f = friction angle of foundation soil = 0

Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

To prevent foundation extrusion, the following equations
can be checked.

PA PB + Tt + Tb

Factor of safety against squeezing (FSsq)

= (PB + Tt + Tb)/ PA > 1.3

Alternative method:
The factor of safety against squeezing failure is as
follows (FHWA, Elias et al., 2001; Silvestri, 1983),

2cf 4.14cf
FSsq 1.3
e .Hf . tan e .He
Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
cf = undrained shear strength of soft soil,
e = unit weight of soil in slope,
Hf = depth of soil beneath the base of the embankment,
= angle of slope, and He = height of slope

Example:

Cu = 9 kPa, = 17 kN/m3, D = 2.5 m, = 21, He = 3.5 m

Check the factor of safety against squeezing.

Solution:
2C u 4.14C u 2 9 4.14 9
FS sq = + FSsq 1.332 1.3
.D. tan .H e 17 2.5. tan21 17 3.5

Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

When FSsq < FSreqd = 1.3, the stability is to be improved
not by increasing the length of reinforcement, but either
reducing the slope angle, or
placing surcharge at the toe of embankment.

Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

 SERVICEABILITY LIMIT STATE

1) Elastic deformations or basal reinforcement strain:

The elastic deformation of the embankment is shown in Figure

below. High tensile strength of the basal reinforcement is
required under applied load to satisfy serviceability condition.

Reinforcement strain
Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
The U.S. Army corps of engineers express the maximum
strain is 10% approximately.
Tg = J.
Tg = Tensile strength of the basal reinforcement,
J = Modules of elasticity of basal reinforcement, and
= Strain of the basal reinforcement
If = 10%, the modules of elasticity of basal reinforcement
will be as follows,
E = Tg/0.10 = 10Tg

Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

The recommended limit of the basal reinforcement strains
depend on the type of fill materials as follows. (After Holtz
et al. 1998)

For cohesion-less soil:

The strain of basal reinforcement () = 5% to 10%

For cohesive soil:

The strain of basal reinforcement () = 2.0%

For peat:
The strain of basal reinforcement () = 2% to 10%

Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

2) Foundation settlement:

The foundation settlement (shown in Fig. below) of the

basal reinforced embankment can be computed by the
conventional geotechnical procedure.

Foundation settlement
Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
 PLACEMENT OF GEOSYNTHETICS UNDERNEATH
EMBANKMENT

Holtz (1989) reported that geosynthetic can act as a

separator for the construction of embankment over soft soil.
Bonaparte and Christopher (1987) mentioned that the
proper placement of the geosynthetic is needed along the
centerline of the embankment as shown in Figure below.

Placement of geosynthetics (IFAI, 1990)

Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
 Higher strength is required along the width of the
embankment. Therefore, it is recommended to place the
geosynthetic in machine direction along the width of the
embankment.

The geosynthetics can be joined by welded or sewing

or overlapping.

Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

 CONSTRUCTION OF BASAL REINFORCED
EMBANKMENT
Preparation of sub-grade and geosynthetic lay-out

It is required to properly prepare the uniform sub-grade.

After that lay geosynthetics with machine direction parallel
to the width of embankment. During placing, the
geosynthetics should not wrinkle.
Geosynthetics should be anchored in place with the aid of
sand bags or pins to protect those from the wind.
It is required to join the geosynthetics. In case of geogrid,
it should be clamped properly. In case of geotextile, it should
be sewed properly.
Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
 Stage construction of embankment

Construct the toe berms at the edge of geosynthetic.

Placing of the filling material along the alignment between

the two berms:

(a) Above toe berms, the first stage construction should be

done from the both ends maintaining the axisymmetric
condition. The geosynthetics should be anchored beneath
this portion.

(b) Similarly, next stage construction should be carried out

from both sides of the embankment along the alignment.
This stage will set the geosynthetics completely.
Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
(c) Next stage construction should also be carried out in
similar fashion from both sides of embankment. Here
geosynthetic will act as tension membrane.

(d) Place the filling material at the remaining top portion of

the embankment.

N.B.: At every stage of construction, compaction should be

done only in one direction along the alignment.

Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

Stage construction of basal Geosynthetic reinforced
embankment (After Haliburton et al., 1977)
Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
 Inspection

Proper specified Geosynthetic should be used in

construction work.

Samples should be sent for testing to the third party

laboratory from the project site.

Geosynthetic should not be damaged during

construction.

The stage construction steps should be followed.

Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

 Monitoring during construction

Piezometers should be installed in the soft soil to measure

the excess pore water pressure.

Inclinometers should be installed to measure the lateral

displacement.

Settlement gauges as well as settlement plates should be

positioned to monitor settlement of the embankment.

Geotextile Installation Survivability

The geotextile strength can be selected from the following

Table.
Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
Table: Minimum geotextile property requirements1,2,3 for
geotextile survivability (After AASHTO, 1997)
ASTM Test Required Degree of Geotextile Property
Units
Method Very High High Moderate/Low

Grab Strength D4632 N 1400 1100 800

Tear Strength D4533 N 500 400 300

Puncture Strength D4833 N 500 400 300

Burst Strength D3786 KPa 3500 2700 2100

Notes:
1. Acceptable of Geotextile material shall be based on ASTM D4759
2. Acceptable shall be based upon testing of either conformance samples
obtained using Procedure A of ASTM D 4354, or based on manufacturers
certifications and testing of quality assurance samples obtained using
Procedure B of ASTM D4354
3. Minimum, use value in weaker principal direction. All numerical values
represent minimum average roll value (i.e. test results from any sampled
roll in a lot shall meet or exceed the minimum values in the table). samples
according to ASTM D4354.
Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
 WIDENING OF EXISTING ROADWAY EMBANKMENT

An existing road can be extended at either sides or at one

side using geosynthetic reinforcement.

Road widening on either sides using geosynthetic

reinforcement (After FHWA-HI, 1998)
Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
 Road widening on one side using geosynthetic
reinforcement (After FHWA-HI, 1998)

Alternatively, the road can be extended by using super

light material like geofoam to reduce the settlement on
soft foundation.

Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

Example:

An earthen dam of 3.5 m height and 20 m top width has

to be constructed over a cohesive
.
soil foundation. The
depth of the foundation soil (Hf) is 2.5 m.

Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

Properties of embankment and foundation soil are as
follows:

Dimensional properties:
Height of the embankment = He= 3.5 m,
Top width of the embankment = B = 20m,
Depth of foundation soil = Hf = 2.5m,
Side slope of the embankment = 1:2
Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
Properties of embankment fill:
e = 17 kN/m3,
e' = 30 ,
ce' = 0 kPa, and
Interaction coefficient between geotextile and embankment
fill (Ci) = 0.7

Properties of foundation soil:

f = 16 kN/m3
f = 0
cf = 9 kPa
Ca = 40% of cu

Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

Check the stability of the embankment against:

1. Bearing capacity failure,

2. Rotational slip surface failure,

3. Rupture

4. Sliding failure,

5. Pullout strength,

6. Elastic strength and

7. Lateral squeezing
Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
Solution:
Step 1: Check for bearing capacity failure

Maximum stress exerted by the embankment on the

foundation = qmax= e .He = 17 x 3.5 = 59.5 kPa

B = 20 + 2 x 3.5 = 27 m, Hf = 2.5 m,

B/ Hf = 27/2.5 = 10.8 > 2

Assuming base of the foundation soil is rough. For B/ Hf > 2,
according to Bonaparte et al. (1986),

B 27
N c 4.14 0.5 = 4.14 0.5 = 9.57
Hf 2.5
Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
 qult = cfNc = 9.57 x 9 = 86.13 kPa (adopted)

Considering factor of safety = 1.5

Allowable bearing capacity of the foundation soil
(qall) = 86.13/1.5 = 57.42 kPa < qmax (59.5 kPa)
Therefore, we have to increase the width of the dam to
satisfy the factor of safety.

Back calculating for limiting safety condition,

FS x q max 1.5 x 59.5
Nc 9.9
cu 9

B B
Now, N c 4.14 0.5 9.9 4.14 0.5 B = 28.75 m
Hf 2.5
Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
Therefore, for safety of the embankment, we have to increase
the width of the side slope from 7 m to at least 8.75 m.

Now, Horizontal to vertical ratio becomes = 8.75 : 3.5

= 2.5 : 1

Diagram of the embankment after making flatter

slope of 1: 2.5
Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
Step 2: Check for rotational slip surface failure

Finite element analysis (Plaxis 2D, 2010 ) has been carried

out for both unreinforced and reinforced conditions to find
out the factor of safety against global stability.
Unreinforced Case:

Unreinforced model in PLAXIS 2D

Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
 Slip surface for unreinforced case
Achieved Factor of safety = 0.936 < 1 (embankment will fail)
Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
 Reinforced Case:

Embankment with basal reinforcement in PLAXIS 2D

Achieved FOS = 1.365 > 1.3 (Recommended)

(The embankment will not fail)

Achieved tensile strength of geosynthetic (Tg)design = 300 kN/m

@ 5% strain
Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
The critical zone for reinforced case is shown below. It can
easily be observed that the volume of influenced zone in
reinforced case is more than that for the unreinforced case.

Critical zone for reinforced case

Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
As the tensile strength of geosynthetic is 300 kN/m which is
considerably high, two layers of geosynthetics can be
provided at a vertical spacing of 200 mm.

The top layer with ultimate tensile strength = 200 kN/m,

The bottom layer with ultimate tensile strength = 100 kN/m

Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

 Step 3: Check for Rupture/Tearing failure
Reinforcement fails in tension and embankment slides
over the foundation soil.

Forces at the vertical edge:

Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

Total driving force = Pfill = 0.5 ka e He2
1 sin e ' 1 sin30 1
ka ka 0.33 Pfill (0.33)(17)(3.5)2 34.36 kN/ m
1 sin e ' 1 sin30 2

Shear force at the bottom of embankment

= (Ca + vt tan f) x Ls = Ca x Ls

(f = 0, as the foundation soil is completely saturated)

Let, tension in reinforcement = Tg

Total resisting force at the bottom of embankment

= Tg + Ca x Ls
Tg C a .L s
FS rupture 2
0.5 k a e H e
Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
Hence, Tg + Ca x Ls = FSrupture x Pfill

or, Tg = FSrupture x Pfill - Ca x Ls

FSrupture = 1.5 (Recommended)

Therefore, Tg = 1.5 x 34.36 - 0.4 x 9 x 8.75 = 20 kN/m

Let, creep reduction factor = 3 and

installation damage factor =1

Therefore,
(Tg)required = 20 x 3 x1 = 60 kN/m < 300 kN/m (Hence OK)
Provide Tg = 60 kN/m in the cross machine direction.
Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay
Please let us hear from you

Any question?

Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay

 Prof. J. N. Mandal
Department of civil engineering, IIT Bombay, Powai
, Mumbai 400076, India.
Tel.022-25767328
email: cejnm@civil.iitb.ac.in

Prof. J. N. Mandal, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Bombay