ABSTRACT
Geosynthetic reinforcement materials such as geogrids, geotextiles and polymer straps are rate-dependent materials which means that their mechanical tensile properties are most often time-, load- and strain-dependent. Nevertheless, analytical and numerical analyses of geosynthetic reinforced soil walls, slopes, thin fills and embankments under operational (serviceability) conditions are most often carried out using a single-value estimate of the reinforcement stiffness consistent with the notion of a single equivalent elastic modulus for the reinforcement material. This paper describes a two-component hyperbolic isochronous stiffness model that accounts for time-dependent changes in reinforcement stiffness due to creep. The model for the reinforcement can be used in numerical and analytical modelling of reinforced soil structures under operational (serviceability) conditions corresponding to low tensile loads and strains.
