Geosynthetic-reinforced and pile-supported embankments: theoretical discussion of finite difference numerical analyses results

Piled foundations are commonly employed to reduce settlements of artificial earth embankments on soft soil strata and geosynthetic reinforcements are installed at the embankment base to increase pile spacing and reduce construction costs. Despite the well-documented effectiveness of this technique, the mechanical processes, developing during...

Effects of curing on the hydro-mechanical behaviour of cement-bentonite mixtures for cut-off walls

Cement-bentonite cut-off walls are commonly employed in geoenvironmental applications to limit ground water flow and pollutant transport. The wide diffusion of this artificial material in the current practice is not only due to its low permeability, but also to its simplicity of use. In this paper, experimental evidences about the role of...

Mathematical modelling of the mechanical response of geosynthetic-reinforced and pile-supported embankments

Piled foundations are commonly employed to reduce settlements in artificial earth embankments founded on soft soil strata. To limit the number of piles and, consequently, construction costs, popular is the use of geosynthetic reinforcements laid at the embankment base. Nowadays, the complex interaction between geosynthetics, piles and soil is...

An innovative design approach for anchored wire meshes

Anchored wire meshes are commonly adopted to stabilize potentially unstable soil slopes. This reinforcement technique, employed either as an active or a passive anchoring system, is commonly designed according to ultimate limit state approaches. In this paper, an interaction model, useful for the design of anchored wire meshes, is proposed....

Numerical push-over analysis of a bridge piled foundation: geotechnical and structural verification

Most of the infrastructures in Europe are approaching their design life and, therefore, their safety under present conditions has to be reassessed. This is particularly crucial in the Italian context, since the current seismic design standards have significantly changed, being more severe than the previous ones. The goal of this paper is the...

A New Strategy for Mitigating Pipeline Uplift in Liquefied Soils

Seismic-induced liquefaction is one of the main hazards for pipelines buried in saturated granular materials. When soil is partially or completely fluidized, a lifeline, although installed in superficial trenches in which the coarse backfill soil usually is compacted, may experience a sudden uplift and damages. To reduce pipeline uplift and...

Finite Element Analyses of Piled Foundations: Interaction Domains Under Undrained Conditions

Most of the bridges in Europe countries are now approaching their design life. Therefore, at present crucial is the choice of the most suitable retrofitting solution taking the current design standards into account. From an economic point of view the costs related to the foundations adaptation are not negligible at all, even because design...

A macroelement framework for shallow foundations including changes in configuration

Macroelement plasticity models are being increasingly applied to study non-linear soil–foundation interaction (SFI) problems. Macroelement models are particularly appealing from a computational standpoint, as they can capture the essence of SFI by means of a few degrees of freedom. However, all the macroelement formulations available in the...