Soil–Structure Interaction of Plates on Earth Beds with Geosynthetic Inclusion

Abstract

A simple model has been presented for the analysis of plates on earth beds with geosynthetic inclusions. Plates simulate the behavior of concrete slabs such as raft foundations, lock type structures, rigid pavements etc., resting on the viscous medium. The foundation soil has been represented by Kelvin–Voigt model. A layer of granular fill, represented by Pasternak model, has been placed on top of this foundation soil and is reinforced with geosynthetic layer. Hyperbolic constitutive relationship has been used to simulate the nonlinearity of foundation soil and the overlying granular soil. An elastic rough membrane sandwiched within the granular layer, on to which the plate is in direct contact, represented the geosynthetic layer. From basic mechanics principles, the mathematical model of the system has been derived and solution has been obtained employing relevant boundary conditions. System of simultaneous equations, so obtained, has been solved using lower–upper decomposition method. An iterative scheme has been adopted to determine the deflection of plate and the tension generated in geosynthetic layer. After validating the proposed model, response of soil–plate system has been studied under the influence of load intensity, flexural rigidity of plate, ultimate bearing resistance of poor subgrade and degree of consolidation. Non-dimensional charts depicting the influence of these parameters have been developed which can be used in the analysis of plates on reinforced earth beds. © 2018, Indian Geotechnical Society.