Geosynthetic Stabilization for Soft Subgrade

- Instrumentation and ME Approach

Xiaochao Tang, Ph.D.
Louisiana Transportation Research Center

Murad Abu-Farsakh, Ph.D., P.E.

Louisiana Transportation Research Center

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Financial Support from LA DOTD, Tensor, TenCate Assistance from PRF

BACKGROUND
Louisiana soil: soft subgrade soil leads to excessive deformation Treatments for soft subgrade: o Thicker base (constraints of resources, high cost) o Cut and fill (considerable expense of excavation and transportation) o Chemical stabilization (lime-reactivity and environment, cementshrinkage cracks) An alternative mechanical treatment: geosynthetics placed at basesubgrade interface
Asphalt Base

SUBGRADE

Geosynthetics
Manufactured from polymeric material, used with geotech engineering projects such as slopes, retaining walls, embankments, and pavements; Includes geotextiles, geomembranes, geonets, geocells, and geogrids.

Geogrids
Extruded geogrids: a polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene (PE) sheet, punched and drawn (Biaxial &Triaxial) Woven / welded geogrids: polypropylene (PP) or polyester (PET) yarns, woven or welded

Geotextiles
Permeable textile structures: Woven & Nonwoven
Woven Geotextile Extruded Triaxial

Woven Biaxial

Extruded Biaxial

Geosynthetic Functions in Pavements

1) Separation: minimize base degradation 2) Confinement effects (interface friction, interlocking): minimize lateral spreading, increased modulus 3) Tensioned membrane effects: reduce vertical stress on subgrade

Asphalt Base

Asphalt Base

SUBGRADE

SUBGRADE

(Perkins, 1999)

No Geosynthetics

With Geosynthetics

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
Evaluate and quantify effectiveness of geosynthetic reinforcements for pavements built over natural soft subgrade Examine pre-rut effects on geosynthetics performance Incorporate effects of geosynthetic reinforcement into pavement MEPDG design

EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM
Test Sections

Geotextiles

Geogrids

Geogrids

Cross Section

A total of 6 test sections Two control sections: sand embankment and unreinforced Triaxial geogrids: double-layer & at interface High-strength geotextiles: 12-in & 18-in base at interface Heavy clay (A-7-6), Mexico Limestone, Level 2 Superpave mixture

Pavement Instrumentation
HMA

C L

North 1.5''

What to measure ? Load-associated: stress, strain, & deformation Environment-associated: water content & temperature

1' 2' 2' 8' 1' 5''

3''

Aggregate Base 8' RS580 i Geotextile

10''

Where to measure ?
Critical responses: top of subgrade, base, bottom of AC

2'

2'

4'

2'

2'

2'

2'

Soil Subgrade

Potentiometer

LVDT

Piezometer

Earth Pressure Cell TDR Strain Gage Thermocouple (Note: thermocouple will be installed at the edge between Sections 5 and 6)

Instrument positions in Section 6 (longitudinal cross section, not to scale)

Pavement Instrumentation (contd)

Earth Pressure Cell

Piezometer

Pressure Cell (Top of Subgrade) Hydraulic type with semiconductor transducer Measures total stress and dynamic stress Piezometer (Top of Subgrade) Measures static and dynamic pore water pressure

Pavement Instrumentation (contd)

Customized LVDT

Customized potentiometer

LVDT (Top of Subgrade) Spring-loaded type with a contact disk of 2 in diameter Measures both elastic and permanent overall subgrade deformations

Potentiometer (Mid-Base) Measures strain over the length Both elastic and permanent

Pavement Instrumentation (contd)

Foil Strain Gauge on Geosynthetics On opposite sides of geosynthetics, along transverse direction Measures permanent and dynamic strains

Pavement Instrumentation (contd)

TDR (Top of Subgrade & Mid-Base) Moisture content Thermocouple (Subgrade, Base, & Asphalt Layer) Spatial and temporal variations of temperature

Pavement Instrumentation (contd)

Cable protection and organization Sensor labeling

Site Characterization

Subgrade and Base LWD, Geogauge, Nuclear Gauge, DCP, and FWD

Accelerated Loading Facility (ALF)

About 100-ft long and 55-ton Unidirectional, dual wheel, half of a single axle

Adjustable axle load: 9,750 lb to 18,950 lb

Nominal speed: 10.5 mph, 40-ft wheel path, wander covering 30 transverse distance

Testing and Data Collection & Processing

Laser Profilometer

Pre-rut on base & APT on AC

At select intervals: transverse rut profile, instrumentation data (static & dynamic) Data processing: eliminating outliers, data smoothing, identifying peaks and valleys

PRELIMINARY RESULTS
Response Measurement
90 80 70
Vertical stress (kPa)
Deflection (mm)

85

84.5

60 50 40 30 20

84

83.5

10
0 0.5 1 Time (s) 1.5 2

83
0 0.5 1 Time (s) 1.5 2

Vertical stresses atop subgrade measured by pressure cell

Subgrade resilient deflection by LVDT

Mechanistic modeling: calibration and validation

Response Measurement (contd)

80.00 70.00

Vertical stress on top of subgrade (kPa)

60.00 50.00 40.00 30.00 20.00 10.00 0.00 0 500 1000 1500 2000 Applications of axle load 2500

Vertical stresses atop subgrade measured by pressure cell (section 6)

Increase of dynamic vertical stress at the top of subgrade Indication of decrease of base modulus corresponds to LWD & Geogauge As opposed to current MEPDG using constant modulus, possible to update pavement layer properties along with traffic loading

Performance Measurement
53 48

43

Accumulated permanent deformation (mm)

Relative elevation (mm)

38

0 20 50 150 419 600 808 1008 1208

20

15

10

33

28

avg._east wheel avg._west wheel

23

0
18 100 120 140 160 Transverse distance (cm) 180 200

500

1000 1500 2000 Applications of axle load

2500

Surface rut profile at different stages of trafficking

Accumulated surface rutting

Empirical performance prediction model: permanent deformation

model for unbound pavement layers

Performance Measurement (contd)

2.00

Accumulated subgrade permanent deformation (mm)

1.80 1.60 1.40 1.20 1.00 0.80 0.60 0.40 0.20 0.00 0 500 1000 1500 2000 Applications of axle load 2500

Accumulated subgrade permanent deformation

After

1000 passes

Majority of rutting attributed to base

SUMMARY AND FUTURE WORK

Six test sections: geogrids and geotextiles, various structures Pavement instrumentation Interpretation and use of instrumentation data Future work: continue APT testing, integrate instrumentation data in design & analysis, incorporate effects of geosynthetic reinforcements into MEPDG

Thank You!