Evaluating the Reliability and Repeatability of Novel Laboratory Equipment in Investigating the Performance of Geosynthetic-Reinforced Soils

Geosynthetics have been employed as reinforcements to improve pavement behaviours. Previous attempts have been made to compare the performance of geosynthetic-reinforced soils with unreinforced soils through large-scale laboratory tests. However, large-scale testing is considered time-consuming and costly, which reduces the repeatability and reliability of such tests. Therefore, it is crucial to develop a small-scale testing apparatus, which is capable of evaluating the reinforcing effects of geosynthetics in pavements. In this study, a small-scale laboratory testing method was employed to investigate the performance of geocomposites in improving the penetration resistance of the reinforced soil system. Several tests were performed to validate the repeatability of the proposed testing apparatus. The results of this study demonstrate the capability of the developed testing method to produce consistent and repeatable results, which highlights its potential application in measuring the reinforcing effects of geosynthetics in pavements.