Numerical study on the effect of geogrid reinforcement in flexible pavements
摘要
Flexible pavement is a multi-layered structure that spreads traffic loads over a broad area, thereby reducing stress on the underlying subgrade. However, despite its advantages, its performance can be adversely affected by cracking, rutting, and excessive settlement caused by repeated traffic loading and environmental influences. To enhance the pavement’s performance, various ground improvement techniques have been developed and implemented, which include chemical stabilisation (lime and cement), mechanical methods (dynamic compaction), an increase in thickness of layers (sub-base, base, wearing courses), and geosynthetic reinforcement—particularly geogrids, which improve load distribution and reduce settlement. Previous studies using numerical tools like PLAXIS 2D have shown that geogrid reinforcement can reduce settlement; however, these studies are limited by a single-layer geogrid reinforcement configuration, and the importance of axial stiffness has not been discussed, leading to only marginal improvement in performance. Addressing these limitations, the present study evaluated the use of flexible pavement reinforced with geogrid at different depths, increased the number of reinforcement layers, and assessed the influence of axial stiffness using PLAXIS 2D. The scope of this study involved modelling realistic pavement conditions and symmetrically analysing the settlement responses under traffic loading. The results showed that placing high stiffness geogrids at all interfaces significantly reduced settlement and improved structural performance of flexible pavement.