Geosynthetics in roads and pavements

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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                                                    GEOSYNTHETICS IN REINFORCED SOIL SYSTEMS:                                              41      

Embankments over Soft Foundations, Reinforced Steepened Slopes, Mechanically Stabilized Earth Walls 

 

For more information please contact the Geosynthetic Materials Association at www.gmanow.com. 

OVERVIEW 

 

Though the use of tensile inclusions in soil 

structures dates back several thousand years to 

the construction of religious structures in 

ancient Babylonia, it was only three decades ago 

that Henri Vidal, a French architect, pioneered 

modern earth reinforcement techniques.  These 

techniques involved the incorporation of tensile 

elements into a soil mass to complement the 

soil's compressive strength and to improve the 

mechanical properties of the soil mass. 

 

 

Beginning in the early 1970's, experimentation 

using geotextiles as soil reinforcement was 

conducted in Europe and the United States.  The 

U.S. Forest Service constructed full-scale 

wrapped-face walls using geotextiles in 1974 

and 1975 and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

began using geosynthetics in reinforcement 

applications in 1978.  Under FHWA 

sponsorship, highway departments in New 

York, Colorado, and Oregon constructed 

geotextile reinforced walls in the early 1980's.  

These successes attracted other candidate forms 

of plastic inclusions such as geogrids 

manufactured of polyethylene and coated 

polyester.   

 

These and other reinforced soil systems have 

become known as mechanically stabilized earth 

(MSE) and their use has significantly increased.  

The primary types of MSE systems which have 

emerged include: mechanically stabilized earth 

walls (MSEW); reinforced soil slopes (RSS); 

reinforced embankments over soft foundations 

(RESF).  MSEW and RSS have become 

especially important in highway construction as 

their use reduces the required width of new 

right-of-way and facilitates construction within 

existing limited right-of-way.  RESF are 

recognized as a cost-effective alternative to 

traditional techniques for constructing earthen 

embankments over low strength foundations.   

 

Geosynthetic reinforced soil systems include: 

• 

Engineered soil fill 

• 

Geosynthetic reinforcement 

• 

Facing or slope protection system  

 

 

Engineered Soil Fill 

 

 

 

 

Geosynthetic Reinforcement 

 

 

Facing 

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                                                                            Handbook of Geosynthetics                                                                            42 

 

For more information please contact the Geosynthetic Materials Association at www.gmanow.com. 

EMBANKMENT OVER SOFT SOILS