Modelling of Shear Behaviour of Interfaces Involving Smooth Geomembrane and Nonwoven Geotextile Under Static and Dynamic Loading Conditions

The constitutive modelling of geosynthetic–geosynthetic interfaces is essential to predict the performance of the engineering structures such as landfills, flood control dykes and geotextile encapsulated-sand systems for the protection of shore. This article presents a mathematical model to simulate the shear stress/force–displacement behaviour of the interfaces involving smooth geomembrane and nonwoven geotextile under static and dynamic loading conditions. The model is the extension of an existing technique developed for predicting the soil-structure interface shear behaviour under static loading conditions. The proposed model can predict the non-linear pre-peak and the post-peak strain softening/hardening behaviour of the interfaces observed during the laboratory testing. The shear stress/force–displacement response of the interfaces has been modelled by dividing it into three parts: pre-peak, peak and post-peak behaviour. Subsequently, the modelling parameters are obtained using the results from the laboratory direct shear tests and fixed–block type shake table tests conducted on these interfaces. Finally, the shear stress/force–displacement response of the interfaces is evaluated and compared with the experimental results. The predicted shear stress/force–displacement response of the interfaces is found to be in good agreement with the experimental data for both static and dynamic loading conditions.