ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: This paper presents the results of a series of model tests performed on a railroad supported by geocell reinforced aggregate/ballast overlying a soft subgrade. Geocells is one of the recently found applications of geosynthetics, which provides all-round confinement to the encased geo-material. Model tests were conducted in a fabricated steel tank using locally available silty clay. This clay was used as a soft subgrade. An aggregate layer was prepared on top of this soft subgrade to represent the ballast. The rail track was simulated using a plain-strain footing of width 250 mm. The undrained shear strength of the underlying clay was varied to verify its influence on the performance and behavior of railroads. An attempt has been made to simulate these model tests using a finite difference program. Both experimental and numerical results demonstrated that the geocell reinforcement has a significant effect on the ballast behavior and performance of the railroad in terms of increase in load carrying capacity and settlement reduction.
