Geocell reinforced sand beds: Liquefaction resistance evaluation
Geocell reinforced sand beds: Liquefaction resistance evaluation
This study investigates the impact of the geocell reinforcement on the liquefaction response of sand beds through experimental and numerical modeling. The experimental studies on sand beds were conducted through 1g shaking table model tests considering a scaling factor of 1:10. In case of reinforced sand beds, a 3D printed geocell layer of height 0.05 m was placed at a depth of 0.04 m from the surface. The results indicated that the geocell reinforcement has a beneficial effect on the liquefaction resistance of sand, with geocell reinforced sand beds exhibiting higher liquefaction resistance than unreinforced sand beds. The effectiveness of geocell reinforcement in enhancing liquefaction resistance increased at higher input accelerations, with inclusion of geocell reinforcement increasing the number of cycles required for liquefaction by 70% and 120%, for input acceleration value of 0.12g and 0.2g, respectively. The presence of geocell reinforcement not only impeded the pore water pressure buildup but also aided in reduction of acceleration developed in the sand bed. The numerical modelling was carried out using FLAC3D to gain insights into the field-scale behavior of sand beds. Through numerical study, the effects of various parameters such as depth of placement of the geocell layer, aspect ratio of the geocell, stiffness of the geocell, relative density of the sand and input acceleration on the efficacy of the geocell reinforcement in increasing the liquefaction resistance is analysed. Overall, the study yielded encouraging results, showcasing a higher liquefaction resistance of geocell reinforced sand beds in comparison to unreinforced sand beds.
P. Krishnaraj; G. M. Latha; Jurgen Grabe
11th International Conference on Physical Modelling in Geotechnics (ICPMG2026)
Special Session 5: Combination of numerical and physical modelling
https://doi.org/10.53243/ICPMG2026-225