Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of Geocell Reinforced Pavement in Hilly Terrain

The dissertation aims to perform finite element analysis (FEA) of geocell reinforced pavement using with OPENSEES software. The study uses marginal material found in Himalayan regions and StrataWeb^® SW 356-150 geocell and StrataWeb^® SW 356-200 geocell. Calibration data for finite element model (FEM) and material characteristics can be obtained from the literature. Additionally, triaxial test must be performed to obtain layer moduli and Poisson’s ratio. The study attempts to model cylindrical test tank consisting of subgrade, geocell reinforced base layer and base cover tested for cyclic loading. The cyclic loading represents total number of wheel passes for pavement to fail. The whole tank is modelled rather than a quarter model to improve accuracy of result. The geocell is modelled considering honeycomb structure rather than simple rhomboidal structure—the honeycomb structure needs to be solved after performing regression analysis. The soil materials either coarse sand or clay are modelled using PressureDependMultiYield02 model or PressureIndependMultiYield model, respectively. The elements, soil and geocell are modelled using brickUP elements and ShellMITC4 elements. The model takes into account pore water pressure, pressure dependence, strain rate, etc. The results clearly indicate that geocell reinforced test section has better performance than that of unreinforced test section. This is evident by rut depth reduction factor. The values of velocity and acceleration were also compared, and it was evident that they were greater for geocell reinforced test sections.