Multifunctional Geosynthetic-based Stabilization to Increase Coastal Infrastructure Resilience
Coastal communities of Texas and Louisiana primarily rely on road infrastructure for their transportation and access to goods and services. Due to surges in extreme rainfall and storm events because of changing weather patterns, coastal infrastructure is at pressing risk. The aggressive infiltration of water in the pavement due to frequent flooding declines its functional and structural performance gradually. Geosynthetics have been extensively used in pavement structures to enhance their bearing capacity and stiffness. Most of the commonly used geosynthetics do not help with subsurface drainage under pavements. A novel geotextile with special hydrophilic and hygroscopic wicking fibers is gaining popularity due to its multiple functions, including separation, reinforcement, gravity drainage, and capillary drainage through wicking action. Because of its versatility, it can potentially serve as a unified drainage and reinforcing element in a pavement. This project aims to assess wicking geotextile as a resilient and sustainable adoption in coastal pavement infrastructure vulnerable to the impacts of changing weather patterns. The objectives of this research study are: (1) To understand the efficacy of wicking geotextile reinforcement in pavement infrastructure under extreme climate conditions; (2) To compare the overall performance of wicking geotextile with conventional geotextile reinforcement in coastal pavements. To address these objectives, the following research tasks will be conducted: (1) Existing literature on novel geosynthetics and their characterization will be reviewed and summarized in progress reports and in the final report; (2) Moisture movements within a soil layer with wicking geotextiles and conventional geotextiles will be studied. Moisture probes or tensiometers will be installed in the large direct shear box, and moisture variation in compacted soil will be recorded for up to 7 days. This will help understand and compare drainage capabilities of conventional and wicking geotextiles under different normal loads; (3) Around 20 large-scale direct shear tests (apparatus shown in Figure 1) will be performed on soil with wicking geotextile and conventional geotextile to determine interface friction angle and cohesion. Tests will be performed at different normal loads after 3 and 7 days of drainage. The experimental results will potentially provide a degree of increase in the strength of the subgrade with an application of wicking geotextile; (4) A fully coupled finite element model of coastal pavement infrastructure reinforced with both geotextiles under different environmental stressors will be developed. Laboratory results will be used to develop a model in PLAXIS, and the performance of wicking geotextile in pavements will be assessed under extreme rainfall and flooding events.
- Record URL:
Language
- English
Project
- Status: Active
- Funding: $ 89,712
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Contract Numbers:
69A3552348306
CY1-TTI-02
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Sponsor Organizations:
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology
University Transportation Centers Program
Department of Transportation
Washington, DC United States 20590 -
Managing Organizations:
Southern Plains Transportation Center
University of Oklahoma
202 W Boyd St, Room 213A
Norman, OK United States 73019 -
Project Managers:
Dunn, Denise
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Performing Organizations:
Texas Transportation Institute
Texas A&M University System
3135 TAMU
College Station, TX United States 77843-3135 -
Principal Investigators:
Bhaskar, Puneet
- Start Date: 20230901
- Expected Completion Date: 20250115
- Actual Completion Date: 0
- USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Coasts; Drainage; Floods; Geosynthetics; Geotextiles; Moisture content; Pavement design; Shear tests
- Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Materials; Pavements;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01895986
- Record Type: Research project
- Source Agency: Southern Plains Transportation Center
- Contract Numbers: 69A3552348306, CY1-TTI-02
- Files: UTC, RIP
- Created Date: Oct 14 2023 7:26AM