Lecture 34

Design of embankments
on soft soil using
geosynthetics
Prof. G L Sivakumar Babu
Department of Civil Engineering
Indian Institute of Science
Bangalore 560012
Email: gls@civil.iisc.ernet.in
• INTRODUCTION

• MODES OF FAILURE

• STABILITY CONDITION

• DESIGN EXAMPLE
 Introduction
Soft soils are characterized by poor shear strength,
high compressibility and low permeability.
The reinforcement /confinement effect from
geotextiles/ geogrids/ geocells is useful. It

• Improves embankment stability

• Permits controlled construction over soft soils
• Ensures more uniform settlement of embankment
• Results in cost effective solutions
Effect of reinforcement on embankment
stability
Different types of applications
 Example of Basal Reinforcement
Using Geogrids

• High tensile strength is

required to maintain
stability and prevent
failure
• As the foundation
shear stress increases
the required
geosynthetic tensile
force reduces
Analysis and Design

• Established geotechnical and stability

methods used
• Three main failure mechanisms considered
- Rotational Stability
- Lateral Sliding
- Bearing Capacity
 Modes of Failure

Internal stability Overall stability

•Direct sliding at the •Slippage across the

soil-reinforcement foundation surface
interface
•Stability in the
foundation
Rotational Stability
Embankment Fill
Reinforcement: Full
width or localised areas

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Soft Clay Foundation

Reinforcement tension
develops as a vector of
these forces

Common form of analysis:

• Simplified Bishop Method for circular
surfaces
• Failure can be deep seated or shallow
 Lateral Sliding
Embankment fill

Horizontal
Reinforcement
movement of fill,
driven by active
wedge
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Soft Clay Foundation

Reinforcement tension develops in
the plane of the reinforcement

• Resistance to lateral sliding determined from active

driving force
• Geosynthetics/soil interface should be obtained from
testing
 Foundation Extrusion
Lateral extrusion of Embankment fill
foundations due to
settlement of fill Reinforcement

Soft Clay Foundation

The solution to this mode of failure is to reduce the settlement

by making the base stiffer (Geocell mattress)

• If soft soil thickness > embankment base width, a

bearing capacity analysis will be required
• If soft soil layer thickness < than the embankment
base foundation width extrusion occurs at the toe.
Serviceability Limit States

Settlement Embankment fill

Geosynthetic

Soft Clay Foundation

• Both ultimate limit state and serviceability to

be considered
 Failure Surface

• Stiff Reinforcement may alter the failure

surface shape
• Computer programs can consider non-
circular failure surfaces
•Two idealised distributions are possible,
depending on the nature of soil profile.

•1) uniform variation of undrained shear strength

with depth

• Soft soil is of limited depth

•2) increase of shear strength with depth

• Softsoil extends to larger depths compared

to height of embankment
Forces acting in embankment
•Two types of loads need to be considered for equilibrium

•Vertical loading

•Outward directed lateral force Pfill

•To prevent the lateral spreading of the embankment, horizontal

stresses within the fill must be balanced by shear reactions at the
base.

•In an unreinforced embankment, the lateral thrust Pfill in

transferred to the foundation,

•whereas if reinforcement is present, some of the thrust is carried by

the reinforcement itself
 •Internal Stability
•Inclusion of reinforcement in soil can allow preferential direct sliding to
occur along the surface of the reinforcement layer. Slippage results if the
available resistance at the interface is not sufficient to support the lateral
thrust from the fill.

•Direct sliding resistance at interface = ds tand   n H2/2

•Active thrust from the fill (Pfill ) = kad (  H2/2 + q H)

•From equilibrium conditions,

K ad  2q 
n  1  
α ds tan φ d  γH 
•Direct sliding failure in the fill
•(internal stability)
•Overall Stability
•Needs to be considered in terms of

•Slippage across the foundation surface

•Stability in the foundation

•Slippage sliding or slippage could occur across the surface of soft

clay, in an unreinforced zone, close to reinforcement location or if
there is breaking of reinforcement member.

•Hence, for equilibrium conditions,

K ad  2q 
n  γH  1  
S ud H  γH 
•Slippage across the foundation
•Stability in the foundation
•Vertical embankment loading causes an increase in
the vertical stress in the foundation soil and a
corresponding increase in the horizontal stress.
The lateral stress developed eventually causes the
foundation soil to get displaced laterally beneath
the embankment side slope.
•Consider a zone of soft clay beneath the
embankment side slope.
•Vertical stress v = H acts uniformly and that the
principal axis of stress on either side of the block
oabc are horizontal and vertical. The soil block oabc
experiences a net horizontal stress (v-2Sud) on ab
and 2Sud on oc.
Stability of the foundation
•For the case, where there are no outward or inward
shear stresses acting on the tip of soil block (oa)  = 0.

•The lateral sliding of the soil block is resisted by the

available shear strength on the horizontal plane,
•(n Sud  H). Hence,

• nH. Sud = (v – 2 Sud) D – 2 Sud D v – 4 Sud D

γD 4D 4D
n  or H 
S ud H γD
n
S ud
•Deformation in the foundation

•The load Induces lateral deformation in the

foundation soil which is also dependent on the
extensibility of the reinforcement

•Max lateral displacement = n = max D / 2

• = max D / 2G

•where max = max shear strain and

• max = max shear stress
• (Su, Shear strength of the soil)
•Influence of reinforcement extensibility

•Mobilization of shear stress at the interface is an

important factor in the efficiency of the reinforced
embankments. The shear stress could mobilize
inward, outward or become nil, depending on the
extensibility of the reinforcement, shear strength of the
soil and the loading conditions.
•Three possibilities are denoted as follows;
•(b) (a) = – 1, full outward shear stress
•= 0, zero shear stress
•(c) = 1, full inward shear stress
•Relationships
•The following relationships hold good for the
embankment on foundation of uniform undrained
shear strength, Sud and limited depth D.

4D
•1. Embankment height H
γ 
 D
Sud  1  α  n
 

•2. Factor of safety in a reinforced embankment

Su  nH 
FS   4  1  α  
γH D 
•3. Lateral deflection at the ground surface
S ud D
δh  (1  α)
2G
•4. Maximum reinforcement to provide the stability is
2  αnD K ad 
PR  γH   
 4D  1  α nH 2 
1  sin φ d
•where K ad 
1  sin φ d
•5. In the case of unreinforced embankment,
S u  8D  2nH 
FS   
γH  2D  K ad H 
 Example Problem

An embankment of 200m length and 4m height road

embankment with a crest width of 15m needs to be
constructed over soft clay of 4m depth
(Su=15kN/m2, constant with depth). The embankment
is constructed rapidly in one stage. End of
construction stability needs to be ensured.

Granular fill in the nearly area (d = 20kN/m3) is used

(cv = 330). Targeted FS = 1.3
 Su  nH 
•Step 1: FS  4  1  α  
γH  D
•Use H= 4.5 m to take of settlement in
calculations, though the design height is 4 m
15  n  4.5 
1.3   4  1  α  
20  4.5  4 
• 7.8 = 4 + (1+) 1.125n  3.38 = (1+) n

•For  = 0, n = 3.38
•  = 0.5, n = 2.25
•  = 1.0, n = 1.69
•Step 2: •Unreinforced case FS

15  8  4  2n  4.5 
FS   
20  4.5  2  4  0.294  4.5 

•For n FS
• 1.69 0.84
• 2.25 0.94 < 1.3
• 3.38 1.12
 •Step 3: •The reinforcement force is given by

2  αnD K ad 
PR  γH   
 4D  1  α nH 2 

• Substitution of quantities leads to

• = 117.97 kN/m for  = 0.5
• = 59.54 kN/m for  = 0.0

•Required stiffness = Jreq = Preq/all, all = 10%

•Jreq for  = 0.5 J = 1180 kN/m

•  = 0.0 J = 595 kN/m
 •Step 4:

•In order to mobilise design shearing resistance Sud,

some shearing strain  (or max) is nearly which is of
the order of 10% for soft clay.

•The shear modulus in given by G = 1/ and using

•We get, S D
δ  ud (1  α)
h
2G

•h = 200mm for  = 0.0 •Shows that the higher

•h = 100mm for  = 0.5 reinforcement will reduce
the lateral displacement
•Geosynthetics are available with index strength
in the range of 200 to 400 kN/m
•Step 5 :

•The index strength is to be corrected for loading

period (equal to 90% of consolidation) and for
temperature corresponding to ground conditions (t =
200C) under these conditions, manufacturers data
shows that at the end of 90% consolidation (time = 2.5
years) the reference strength is 60% of design strength.

An allowance for compaction of damage is given in

the form of fd = 1.2, besides an allowance of fenv = 1.1
for environmental degradation
Hence for index strength of Pindex = 200 kN/m

Reference strength 0.6 x 200 = 120

Field strength 120/1.2 x 1.1 = 91
Design strength 91/1.3 = 70
Secant Stiffness 70/0.1 = 700 kN/m
10% in the strain for rupture of the reinforcement
The required strength is 1180 kN/m
for  = 0.5 and 595 kN/m for  = 0.
Hence the considered materials will serve the function
of reinforcement
 Concluding Remarks

The use of geosynthetics in improving the stability

and reduce the settlements in the case of
embankments on soft soils, in the construction of
loading platforms, preventing the influence of voids
in the foundation medium have been beneficial in
the ground improvement.
Thank you