Investigation of load transfer mechanisms in granular platforms reinforced by geosynthetics above cavities

Geosynthetic-reinforced soils constitute an interesting solution for bridging cavities. Many methods have been developed to analyze the stability of soil-geosynthetic-cavity systems, but none of them is able to take into account all the complexities of these mechanisms. Many researchers have assumed mechanisms developed in the reinforced granular platform when cavities appear, such as load transfer and expansion of materials. However, they are not fully understood because many factors can influence the design, such as the cavity opening processes, the type, and the density of the soil. In this study, a new laboratory apparatus is developed to simulate two different cavity opening procedures (trapdoor and progressive opening) for different geometric configurations. A series of tests is conducted for three granular soils with two different geosynthetic sheets. By measuring the shape of the surface soil settlement and the geosynthetic deflection, the expansion coefficient is calculated. A novel tactile pressure sensor is used to observe the load transfer during the cavity opening. The experimental data are analyzed and the influence of the experimental conditions (geometric and soil properties and the opening procedure) are also discussed. Correspondingly, elicited findings can be used to propose recommendations to improve the existing design methods.