A simplified method to analyze pile-supported and geosynthetic-reinforced embankments and the influence significance analysis of the design parameters

A simplified method for evaluating a pile-supported embankment reinforced with geosynthetic (PGRS embankment) is proposed in this paper. The method takes into account not only the arching effect, the membrane effect of the deflected geosynthetic, and the subsoil reaction, but also the pile head settlement, which makes the method applicable for floating piles, as well as piles seated on a firm soil layer. The settlement of the subsoil surface is considered to consist of two parts: (a) the settlement of the subsoil surface equals that of the pile cap with no deformation in geosynthetic yet; (b) the subsoil surface subsides along with the geosynthetic deforming, and the deflected geosynthetic being considered as catenary shaped. The formula for the maximum differential settlement between the subsoil surface and the piles is worked out by analyzing the force equilibrium of the geosynthetic and the stress-strain relationship of the geosynthetic at the edge of the pile cap. The comparison of the calculated results with the observed data and the six current analytical methods has been implemented to verify the proposed method. The influence of the tensile stiffness of the geosynthetic, compression modulus of soft soil, soft soil thickness, embankment height, internal friction angle of the embankment fill and the pile spacing on the subsoil reaction, the stress concentration ratio (SCR) and the tension of the geosynthetic are investigated using the proposed method. The influence significance of these factors has been investigated using the evaluation theory of binary variance analysis for the non-repeatability tests, which helps optimize the design of the PGRS embankment.