Strengthening of Weak Subgrade Using Geocell

Infra structure projects require bulk quantities of construction materials to build and maintain. Use of locally available materials, which possesses very low shear strength and stiffness, suffers premature failure. Use of inferior quality of materials, in the base and sub base causes excessive lateral spreading that leads to severe distress and costly maintenance. Researchers are in search of alternative materials in order to minimize the construction cost and maintenance cost. Present work focuses on the behavior of flexible pavement reinforced with and without Geocell. Geocell is cellular confinement system made from a polymer material that enhances the stiffness of layer when it is encased. The effectiveness of a Geocell when it is used to reinforce conventional flexible pavements depends on several factors such as thickness of the Geocell, infill material, and placement depth. Reinforced flexible pavement is designed as per the IRC 37-2012 standards. Further influence of geocell is studied by placing geocell at different levels of pavement. Parameters like maximum principal stress developed, distribution, and propagation of stress through subgrade layers, deformation of layers, and maximum deformation of pavement under vehicle load are compared for both reinforced and unreinforced flexible pavement.