Efficacy Assessment of Geosynthetic Liners on Seismic Response Mitigation of Slopes

A practical and cost-effective approach to reinforcing soil and suppressing wave propagation involves the use of smooth geosynthetic liners as seismic isolators. This study examines the influence of various factors on seismic mitigation in sloped terrain, including the quantity, length, and depth of isolators, along with slope inclination and soil density. Analyses were performed using the finite element method and validated against existing literature. The results demonstrate that smooth liners significantly reduce seismic wave propagation, not only at the slope crest but also in upstream. Denser soils exhibited lower seismic response, whereas looser soils recorded the highest values. Specifically, in looser soils, the de-amplification effect of the geotextile is more pronounced compared to denser soils. Slopes with higher inclinations showed higher seismic response. The geotextile layer’s embedment depth has minimal impact on mitigation, with the most significant response reduction occurring when it’s positioned near the crest. Adding more geotextile layers offers only slight mitigation improvement, and extending the liner length beyond the slope height has minimal effect on seismic de-amplification. The findings indicate that isolators effectively reduce seismic response for periods up to 1 s but are less effective for longer periods.