No.

7 of 19
Soil Stabilization and Base Reinforcement
by
Ryan R. Berg, P.E.

The information presented in this document has been reviewed by the Education
Committee of the International Geosynthetics Society and is believed to fairly
represent the current state of practice.

However, the International Geosynthetics Society does not accept any liability
arising in any way from use of the information presented.
Lecture Outline
Definitions
Applications
Materials
Design
Specifications
Economics
Installation
Summary
Soil Stabilization

Definition:

when a geosynthetic is placed at the

subgrade/fill interface to increase the support
of construction equipment over a weak or soft
subgrade
Base Reinforcement

Definition:

When a geosynthetic is placed as a tensile

element at the bottom or within a flexible
pavement base (or sub-base) course to:

(i) improve the service life;

(ii) obtain equivalent performance with a
reduced structural section; or
(iii) combination of (i) and (ii)
Soil Stabilization

Applications:

Temporary roadways
Initial construction lift of permanent roads
Area construction platforms
Base Reinforcement
Applications:
Permanent roads
Parking lots
Airport taxiways
Container loading facilities
Railway tracks
Materials
Soil Stabilisation and Basal Reinforcement

Geotextiles
- Woven
- Nonwoven
Geogrids
- Extruded
- Knitted or Woven
Geogrid-Geotextile Composites
Design
Soil Stabilisation and Basal Reinforcement

Required Geosynthetic Properties

Defined by Examining:

Design parameters
Survivability
Durability
Design Parameters
Soil Stabilisation and Basal Reinforcement
Design Parameters include:
Minimum acceptable rut depth
Traffic expected to use road
- wheel load/axle load
- number of axles
- number of passes
Foundation soil properties
- shear strength
- soil type
Design
Soil Stabilisation and Basal Reinforcement
Possible reinforcement mechanisms provided
by geosynthetics:
Lateral restraint
Bearing capacity increase
Membrane tension support
Lateral Restraint
Bearing Capacity Increase
Membrane Tension Support
Placing Fill on Geotextile
Over Careful Placing
Subgrade Stabilisation
Design
Several design methods are available
Design techniques mainly rely on:
- membrane tension, and
- bearing capacity increase
Check filtration
Most methods are generic; some are empirical-
based, upon specific geosynthetic product
 Subgrade Stabilisation
Example Design Methods

Stewart et al., 1977

Barenburg, 1980
Giroud and Noiray, 1981
FHWA Geosynthetics Manual,
Holtz et al., 1998
and others
Subgrade Stabilisation
Specifications
Design may be:
(i) generic, or
(ii) product-specific.
Specification must follow design. Therefore,
SPECIFICATION with
(i) generic properties or
(ii) Approved Products List
may be appropriate.
Base Reinforcement
Design

Several design methods exist

Design techniques mainly rely on:
- Lateral restraint (or confinement), and
- Bearing capacity increase
Check filtration
Most methods are empirical-based, upon
specific geosynthetic product
Base Reinforcement
Example Design Methods

Penner et al., 1985 Webster, 1993

Burd and Houlsby, Dondi, 1994
1986 Tensar, 1996
Barksdale et al., 1989 Wathugala et al., 1996
Burd and Akzo-Nobel, 1998
Brocklehurst, 1990 Zhao and Foxworthy,
Davies and Bridle, 1999
1990
Miura et al., 1990
Sellmeijer, 1990
Base Reinforcement
Specifications

Designs are usually empirical-based, upon

product-specific performance.
Specification must follow design.
Therefore, SPECIFICATION with an
Approved Products List is usually
appropriate.
Subgrade Stabilisation
Economics

Geosynthetics provide cost savings in construction

and maintenance of pavement structures
Savings are realized with decreased over-
excavation and decreased required granular fill
Cost savings are often demonstrated by simply
examining initial construction costs but, life cycle
cost analysis may show additional, maintenance
cost savings
Base Reinforcement
Economics (Continued)

For some projects, cost savings may be

demonstrated by simply examining initial
construction cost
Will not be cost effective for all projects
Installation

Prepare the ground

Unroll the geosynthetic
Back dump aggregate
Spread the aggregate
Compact the aggregate
Prepare the Ground

remove the stumps, boulders, etc.;

fill in low spots.
Unroll the Geosythetic

Directly over the ground to be stabilized.

If more than one roll is required, overlap
rolls.
Rolling out on Prepared Formation
Forming a Curve Using Folds
Forming a Curve Using Cut Pieces
Back Dump Aggregate
onto previously placed aggregate.
Do not drive on the geosynthetic. Maintain
150 mm to 300 mm cover between truck
tires and geosynthetic.
Back Dumping Aggregate
Spread the Aggregate

over the geosynthetic to the design

thickness.
Spreading Aggregate
Compact the Aggregate
using suitable compaction equipment.
Compaction of Aggregate
Repair of Rutted Section

Subgrade Restraint

Fill in any excessive ruts formed during

construction.

In no case should ruts be bladed down, as

this would decrease the amount of
aggregate cover between ruts.
Repair of Rutting with Additional
Material
Summary

Subgrade

Geosynthetics are cost-effective, as

subgrade restraint, to support
construction equipment over soft soils
Summary
Base Reinforcement

Geosynthetics can be cost-effective for

base reinforcement of flexible pavements
to:
- improve service life
- obtain equivalent performance with a
reduced structural section or
combination of the two