Behavior of Bamboo and Jute Geocell Overlaying Soft Subgrade under Repeated Wheel Loading

Abstract

This study investigates the behavior of bamboo geocells (BGs) and jute geocells (JGs) under a repeated wheel load test. A series of wheel load tests (WLTs) was conducted to measure the performance of the geocells by varying three types of infill materials, i.e., sand, crushed aggregate (CA), and recycled asphalt pavement (RAP). Further, the effect of basal geosynthetics with a geocell is also investigated under the wheel load. The wheel load was applied stepwise based on the ultimate bearing capacity of the system, and the test was continued until failure due to rutting. The test results showed that the unreinforced system with infill material CA could sustain more repetition than RAP and sand under the wheel load. With the inclusion of JG in the granular base layer, the traffic benefit ratio increases marginally, i.e., 1–2 at a rut depth of 50 mm. However, the BG increases the traffic benefit ratio (TBR) significantly, i.e., 3–5 at the same rut depth. With the addition of basal geosynthetics, with both geocells, the TBR value increases extensively. The reinforcement effect of the jute geocell is higher in the RAP base layer. However, the impact of the bamboo geocell is greater in the sand base layer. Due to the elastoplastic nature of the RAP particles, it exhibits more resilient deformation than sand and CA. The performance of the BG in terms of load repetitions and TBR value with the infill material RAP and CA is substantial and can be used for low-volume unpaved roads.