1. Home
  2. RIP
  3. View Record
https://www.nationalacademies.org/trb/events

Reinforcement Mechanism of Articulating Concrete Mats (ACMs) and Geosynthetic Fabric for the Design of Highway Embankment in Coastal Louisiana

Coastal highway embankments differ significantly from conventional highway embankments or levees due to their exposure to hurricanes and tropical storms. These events generate substantial hydrodynamic wave pressures that must be considered in design. Reinforcing soil fills at different elevations with geosynthetics is a common approach, but doing so effectively requires research that enhances existing design methods and clarifies their underlying rationale. Design elements such as tensile forces, reinforcement length, and vertical spacing depend on understanding the mechanical behavior of these materials under extreme loading.  Because coastal embankments are subjected to wave pressures from storms with defined return periods, engineers must account for the maximum hydrodynamic loads these storms generate. In particular, the unique reinforcement roles of geosynthetics and articulating concrete mats (ACMs) must be thoroughly understood to optimize the design. Key factors include ACM layer thickness, the number and arrangement of non-woven geotextile separator layers, and failure modes such as tensile rupture and pull-out resistance in geogrids and woven geotextiles.  Building on the results from Southern Plains Transportation Center (SPTC)-funded Cycles 1 and 2, this project will use experimental and numerical methods to evaluate the behavior of geosynthetic reinforcements placed at various elevations within embankment fills. Emphasis will be placed on understanding how these materials fail under load and how their performance changes with elevation and storm intensity. In addition to continuing the work from earlier phases, this project will also assess the seepage-reduction capabilities of non-woven geotextiles and the surface stabilization benefits of ACMs applied to embankment slopes.  Large-scale direct shear testing will be conducted to analyze both tensile rupture and pull-out failure mechanisms in conditions representative of coastal environments. Seepage and slope stability analyses will complement this testing to evaluate the combined performance of ACMs and geotextile separators under storm loading.  The findings from this research will help validate and refine current design guidelines for coastal highway embankments that incorporate geosynthetics and ACM armor. The study will also contribute to a deeper understanding of conventional geosynthetic failure mechanisms in coastal applications. Ultimately, the research will yield practical, implementable steps for assessing both internal and external stability in coastal embankment design. 

Language

  • English

Project

  • Status: Active
  • Funding: $81,302.00
  • Contract Numbers:

    69A3552348306 (CY3-LTU-01)

  • Sponsor Organizations:

    Southern Plains Transportation Center

    University of Oklahoma
    202 W Boyd St, Room 213A
    Norman, OK  United States  73019

    Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

    University Transportation Centers Program
    Department of Transportation
    Washington, DC  United States  20590
  • Managing Organizations:

    University of Oklahoma, Norman

    School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science
    202 West Boyd Street, Room 334
    Norman, OK  United States  73019
  • Project Managers:

    Ghasemi, Hamid

  • Performing Organizations:

    Louisiana Tech University, Ruston

    Ruston, LA  United States  71272
  • Principal Investigators:

    Wang, Jay

  • Start Date: 20260101
  • Expected Completion Date: 20270101
  • Actual Completion Date: 0
  • USDOT Program: UTC

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 01975686
  • Record Type: Research project
  • Source Agency: Southern Plains Transportation Center
  • Contract Numbers: 69A3552348306 (CY3-LTU-01)
  • Files: UTC, RIP
  • Created Date: Jan 5 2026 10:35PM