Construction and performance of a full-scale geotextile reinforced test embankment, Sackville, New Brunswick

Abstract

The instrumentation, construction, and field performance of a full-scale geotextile reinforced test embankment constructed on a soft compressible soil is presented. A relatively high-strength polyester woven geotextile was used as reinforcement. The construction sequence, the observed pore pressure response, and the vertical and horizontal displacements are reported. The development and propagation of cracks in relation to the construction sequence and the manner in which the embankment failed are described. The field data suggest that the shear strength of the foundation soil was mobilized at a fill thickness between 5 and 5.7 m. However, due to the stabilizing effect of the geotextile reinforcement, the embankment did not fail until the geotextile reached its ultimate tensile strength and tore when the fill thickness reached 8.2 m. The failure of the embankment was of a viscoplastic nature and although additional fill could be placed after failure of the geotextile and embankment at 8.2 m, no additional gain in the net height (i.e., relative to the surrounding area) could be maintained above the maximum of 6.6 m recorded when the fill thickness reached 8.2 m. Key words : embankment, geotextile reinforcement, field behaviour, stability, deformations, pore pressures.