Efficacy of Geo-Cellular Mat (GCM) to mitigate settlement via field performance
Road construction over soft yielding ground like peat soil presents a considerable technical challenge. Therefore, the soil needs to be stabilised to improve its geotechnical properties and to ensure the embankments constructed on it are stable and strong without risking excessive settlement and...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2021
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://eprints.uthm.edu.my/3772/ http://eprints.uthm.edu.my/3772/1/J12655_0f8dc1c94834f391b86c672a1c6d9cc8.pdf |
| Summary: | Road construction over soft yielding ground like peat soil presents a considerable technical
challenge. Therefore, the soil needs to be stabilised to improve its geotechnical properties and
to ensure the embankments constructed on it are stable and strong without risking excessive
settlement and bearing failure. Recently, more attention has been given to lightweight fill
materials as an alternative technology for road construction over soft ground. Hence, the
development and use of innovative green technology products to meet the current pressing
geo-environmental challenges are critically examined in this study. The main purpose of this
paper is to evaluate the settlement behaviour of geo-cellular mat (GCM) block and compared
the response from conventional natural fill material (sand fill). This is followed by the conceptual
development of a GCM block by recycling plastic. GCM is lighter, stronger, and stiffer, which
has a density of 125 ± 10 kg/m3, compressive strength in the range of 2.8 to 4.5 MPa, and
stiffness in the range of 100 to 150 MPa were measured via axial compression test. A series
of field test was conducted to simulate a particular cross-section of road embankment with a
uniform static load for nearly a year to verify the effectiveness of GCM. The settlement plate
gauges were used to determine the total ground movement beneath the fill loading at the
interface between fill materials and subgrade surface. The findings of this study successfully
prove the efficacy of the GCM block to diminish settlements over peat ground, compared with
sand fill. The results show that the maximum absolute settlement and differential settlement
were reduced by 35% and 70%, respectively with the application of GCM technology. |
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