An analytical model for evaluation of compaction-induced stresses in a reinforced soil mass

Abstract When an earth fill is subject to loading and subsequent unloading, it will bring about an increase in the lateral stress, provided that there is sufficient constraint to lateral deformation of the soil mass. The increase in lateral stress is commonly known as the "residual" or "lock-in" lateral stress. The residual stress resulted from compaction operation, which involves a series of loading and unloading onto a soil mass, is referred to as "compaction-induced stress" (CIS). The CIS will increase the stiffness and strength of the soil mass, and is an important factor to be considered in the behavior of compacted soil. A number of studies have been conducted on the CIS in an unreinforced soil mass. With a reinforced soil, the CIS is likely to be much more pronounced because there is a higher degree of constraint to lateral deformation in a reinforced soil mass due to soil-reinforcement friction. An analytical model, referred to as the CIS model, is developed for evaluation of compaction-induced stress in a reinforced soil mass. Correlations for determination of model parameters are given so that the parameters can be estimated through reinforcement spacing and stiffness, and common soil parameters, such as the angle of internal friction (Φ), and overconsolidation ratio (OCR). In addition, the stress paths of typical fill compaction operation are discussed, including compaction with a plant moving toward and away from a section under consideration, and compaction with multiple passes. The CIS model presented in this paper is found to give CIS values very close to those obtained from sophisticated finite element analysis of a 6-m high GRS mass under different values of compaction pressure. The CIS in the reinforced soil mass is significant under compaction pressures typically used in actual fill compaction.