As estruturas de solo reforçado tornaram-se uma alternativa eficiente para a construção de aterros e muros de contenção. No entanto, o seu uso é limitado pelas especificações técnicas, que recomendam apenas materiais granulares, por apresentarem alta resistência e capacidade de livre drenagem. Todavia, nem sempre se dispõem deste tipo de material nas proximidades das obras, o que pode torná-las onerosas, devido aos custos de transporte. Os solos não convencionais, definidos como solos de granulometria fina (caracterizados como argilas, siltes, e solos areno-siltosos), merecem atenção, pois são encontrados em abundância em muitos locais do nosso território. Casos históricos brasileiros de obras instrumentadas revelam a eficiência destes materiais na composição de aterros de estruturas de solo reforçado, devido ao bom desempenho técnico ao longo de sua vida útil. Acredita-se que o uso de inclusões permeáveis possa contribuir na aceleração da drenagem da água das camadas de maciços construídos com solos finos, permitindo a dissipação mais rápida do excesso de pressões neutras. Para elucidar estas questões foram realizados ensaios de compressão triaxial rápidos (UU) e adensados rápidos (CU), com o intuito de avaliar o desempenho de solos não convencionais reforçados com inclusões permeáveis e impermeáveis. Utilizaram-se como reforços papel alumínio (reforço inextensível e impermeável) e geotêxtil (reforço extensível e permeável), o que permitiu comparações dos resultados obtidos dos ensaios com corpos de prova reforçados com os obtidos de corpos de prova não reforçados. Os solos utilizados foram duas argilas silto-arenosas, uma de comportamento laterítico e a outra não laterítico e uma areia fina com aproximadamente 40% de finos (material com diâmetro inferior à peneira 200), com comportamento não laterítico. Verificou-se que a combinação de solos finos com reforços permeáveis resultou num ganho de resistência ora em termos de ângulo de atrito interno, ora em relação à coesão, apenas a areia fina obteve ganho de resistência ao ser reforçada com o papel alumínio. Observou-se que a argila silto-arenosa, com comportamento laterítico, e a areia fina apresentaram uma interação mais eficiente com os reforços de geotêxtil. Constatou-se ainda que os reforços permeáveis promoveram a drenagem da água dos corpos de prova / The reinforced soil structures became an efficient alternative for the construction of embankments and retaining walls. However, the use of these structures are limited by design specifications which recommend the use of granular materials that present high shearing strength and free drainage capacity. Some granular soils are not always available in the proximities of works, in these cases, costs of transportation can be high. The marginal soils, defined as fine grain-size (characterized as clays, silts, and sandy-silty) soils, deserve attention because they are found in abundance in many places on our territory, besides that, brazilian historical cases of instrumented structures have shown their efficiency when used as backfill of reinforced soil structures. It is also believed that the use of permeable inclusions can contribute to the acceleration of water drainage, which allows faster dissipation of pore pressure. To contribute to the understanding of these aspects of reinforced soil behavior, triaxial compression tests, unconsolidated-undrained (UU) and consolidated-undrained (CU), were carried out in order to check the performance of reinforced marginal soil when reinforced with permeable and impermeable inclusions. Aluminum foil (inextensible and impermeable reinforcement) and geotextile (extensible and permeable reinforcement) were used as reinforcement, allowing the comparison of results of tests using reinforced and non-reinforced samples. The soils used were two sandy silty clays - a lateritic and a non-lateritic soil - and fine sand with 40% of fines, presenting non-lateritic behavior. It was verified that the combination of cohesive soil and permeable reinforcements resulted on an increase of resistance parameters, angle of internal friction and cohesion. It was observed that the lateritic sandy silty clay and the fine sand presented more efficient interaction with the geotextile reinforcements. Also, it was verified that the permeable reinforcements promoted faster water drainage

[pt] Este estudo avaliou a influência da inclusão de fibra de coco como reforço de solo. A fibra de coco utilizada foi obtida por processo mecânico na empresa ECOFIBRA, que possui uma parceria com a Companhia de Limpeza Urbana da cidade do Rio de Janeiro (COMLURB) em projeto piloto de coleta seletiva das cascas de coco verde. Foi realizada uma comparação entre a areia pura e a areia reforçada com fibras de coco para avaliar o comportamento carga-recalque por meio de ensaios de placa em verdadeira grandeza. O objetivo é usar a fibra de coco que normalmente é descartada em grande quantidade, após o consumo do fruto. Procura-se estabelecer padrões de comportamento que possam explicar a influência da inclusão de fibras aleatoriamente distribuídas e de fibras colocadas no formato de manta entre as camadas de solo. Os ensaios foram realizados utilizando uma densidade relativa padrão de 50 por cento e um teor de umidade de 10 por cento. Foi observado nas curvas carga-recalque que o reforço de fibra em manta conseguiu uma diminuição maior do recalque, mas com um maior fissuramento superficial, enquanto que o reforço com as fibras colocadas aleatoriamente conseguiu uma menor redução dos recalques, mas uma melhor inibição da propagação de fissuras. Ambos os resultados, comparados com a areia sem adição de fibras, demostraram uma maior resistência e redução do recalque ocorrido na areia pura. Os resultados são satisfatórios para a aplicação de reforço de solo com fibras de coco em camadas de aterros sanitários e aterros sobre solos moles, dentre outros, dando um fim mais nobre para este material e obtendo-se uma solução para o problema da acumulação da fibra de coco, devido ao grande consumo existente na cidade de Rio de Janeiro. / [en] This study evaluated the influence of the inclusion of coconut fiber as reinforcement of soil. The coconut fiber used is obtained by a mechanical process in ECOFIBRA Company, which has a partnership with the Urban Cleaning Company of the city of Rio de Janeiro (COMLURB) in a pilot project about separate collection of green coconut. Sandy soil reinforced and unreinforced were compared, evaluating load-settlement behavior through real-scale plate load testing. The aim is to use the coconut fiber, discarded in large quantities after consumption of the fruit. It seeks to establish patterns of behavior that may explain the influence of the inclusion of fibers randomly (individual) and as a reinforcing mat (composed) between layers of soil. The tests were performed using as a standard, a relative density of 50 per cent and a humidity content of 10 per cent. The load-settlement curves showed a better stress distribution using fiber rug but a greater degree of surface fissuring was noted. Instead using randomization distribution, stress distribution was lower but was inhibited surface fissuring propagation; both results were compared with soil without addition of fibers increased resistance to settlement. The results are satisfactory for an application of reinforcement layers of soil in landfills and platforms over soft ground, giving a nobler end to this material, trying to give a solution to the problem of accumulation due to the large consumption existing in Rio de Janeiro city.

[pt] A técnica de reforço de solo por inclusão de materiais geossintéticos vem se consolidando de forma acelerada em todo o mundo, com aplicações diretas em estabilização de encostas e de aterros sobre solos moles. A utilização de geogrelhas como elemento de reforço apresenta-se como uma alternativa promissora, embora ainda pouco difundida no Brasil. O presente trabalho tem por objetivos avaliar a resistência ao arrancamento de diferentes tipos de geogrelhas e analisar os mecanismos de interação entre solo e geogrelha. Para tal, foi realizado um extenso programa de ensaios de arrancamento no laboratório e no campo. Os equipamentos utilizados, a preparação das amostras e as metodologias dos ensaios estão apresentados em detalhe. Os ensaios de arrancamento no campo utilizaram uma estrutura de reação fixa, específica para ensaios de arrancamento de grandes dimensões, e foram realizados no campo experimental da PUC-Rio, em Jacarepaguá. Nestes ensaios, três tipos de geogrelhas foram utilizadas para o arrancamento em aterros de solo arenoso e solo residual. Os ensaios de arrancamento no laboratório foram executados em uma caixa de arrancamento cúbica de grandes dimensões (1m de aresta), no Laboratório de Geotecnia do CEDEX, na Espanha. No programa experimental no laboratório, foram utilizados os mesmos tipos de geogrelhas e de solos, de modo a facilitar as comparações e análises dos resultados. As influências do tipo de geogrelha, do tipo de solo, da tensão confinante e dos procedimentos de ensaioforam analisadas em detalhe no que se refere à rigidez e à resistência ao arrancamento das geogrelhas. / [en] The technique of soil reinforcement by inclusion of geosynthetics has been subject to significant development worldwide, with direct applications in slope stabilization and earthfills over soft deposits. The use of geogrids as a soil reinforcement element is an attractive alternative, although still with very little application in Brazil. This work presents the results of an investigation into soil- geogrid interaction by means of pull-out tests. Both field and laboratory pull-out tests were carried out in order not only to make clear the pull-out mechanism but also to determine the parameters for design and analysis of reinforced soil structures. The testing equipments, specimen preparation and testing procedures are described in detail. The field pull-out tests were performed with three different types of geogrids in a research area in Jacarepagua, Rio de Janeiro. Sandy and residual soil surcharge fills of 0,5 to 2m in height were used. Details of the anchored reaction structure are also presented. The laboratory pull-out tests were performed in the geotechnical laboratory at CEDEX, in Spain, with the same types of geogrids and soils. Details of the cubical pull-out box (1m in dimensions) are presented. The influence of the type of geogrid, type of soil, confining pressure and tests procedures on the pull-out stiffness and resistance of the geogrids are discussed by analysing the results of the experimental program. / [es] La técnica de refuerzo del suelo por inclusión de materiales geosintéticos se ha consolidado de forma acelerada en todo el mundo. La utilización de geochapas como elemento de refuerzo se presenta como una alternativa promisora, aunque poco difundida en Brasil. Este trabajo tiene por objetivos evaluar la resistencia al arrancamento de diferentes tipos de geogrelhas y analizar los mecanismos de interacción entre suelo y geochapa. Para tal, se realizó un extenso programa de ensayos de arrancamento en el laboratorio y en el campo. Los equipos utilizados, la preparación de las muestras y las metodologías de los ensayos están descritos detalladamente. Los ensayos de arrancamento en el campo utilizaron una extructura de reacción fija, específica para ensayos de arrancamento de grandes dimensiones, y fueron realizados en el campo experimental de la PUC-Rio, en Jacarepaguá. En estos ensayos, se utilizaron tres tipos de geogrelhas para el arrancamento en aterros de suelo arenoso y suelo residual. Los ensayos de arrancamento en el laboratorio fueron ejecutados en una caja de arrancamento cúbica de grandes dimensiones (1m de arista), en el Laboratorio de Geotecnia del CEDEX, España. En el programa experimental en laboratorio, se utilizaron los mismos tipos de geogrelhas y de suelos, de modo que facilitara las comparaciones y análisis de los resultados. Las influencias del tipo de geochapa, del tipo de suelo, de la tensión confinante y de los procedimentos de ensayo se analizaron detalladamente.

[pt] Um grande número de novos materiais geotécnicos foi desenvolvido baseado na adição de materiais fibrosos, sendo incorporados como elementos de reforço. A técnica de solo reforçado pode ser representada pela produção e aplicação, não somente de fibra natural, mas também de fibras sintéticas e poliméricas. Estudos anteriores de solos reforçados com fibras de polipropileno têm mostrado melhora significativa das propriedades mecânicas dos solos, tais como o aumento da resistência de pico e resistência pós-pico, ductilidade e tenacidade. Estes resultados mostram um grande potencial deste tipo de fibra, quando utilizado como reforço de solos, por exemplo, em base de fundações superficiais, aterros sobre solos moles e liners de cobertura de aterros sanitários. A partir de ajustes matemáticos para determinar a interação entre solos granulares e observações do comportamento global em macro-escala tornou possível analisar o comportamento de solos granulares reforçados com fibras de uma forma micro-mecânica. A modelagem numérica do comportamento mecânico de solos reforçados com fibras de polipropileno, através de uma análise micro-mecânica, utiliza como ferramenta o Método dos Elementos Discretos (MED), que permite a representação do solo em 2D, a partir de um conjunto de partículas de elementos discretos circulares. O MED descarta a visão clássica do solo como uma forma contínua, proporcionando a possibilidade de modelá-lo como partículas constituintes. Sua formulação baseia-se no equilíbrio de forças e de deslocamentos gerados pelos contatos, os quais são descritos através das leis da física clássica, permitindo o mapeamento dos movimentos de cada partícula. A vantagem da micro-mecânica é a possibilidade de explicitar microestruturas, tais como fibras de polipropileno, responsáveis pela mudança no comportamento do solo. Com base no estudo deste fenômeno, causado pela inserção de fibras de polipropileno em materiais granulares, formulações matemáticas foram propostas com a finalidade de descrever o comportamento de solos reforçados através da implementação do código de elementos discretos (DEMlib). Após a calibração e validação do programa, a influência decorrente da inserção do reforço de fibra ao solo foi analisada, sendo realizadas simulações de ensaios biaxiais em amostras discretas de areia, com e sem o reforço fibroso. O comportamento micro-mecânico de misturas reforçadas permitiu avaliar os efeitos das mudanças no teor de fibras presente na matriz de solo, bem como diferentes rigidezes das fibras. Conclui-se que o estudo realizado pelo Método dos Elementos Discretos identificou a real interação entre as partículas do solo e do reforço em forma de fibra, indicando que as fibras, quando inseridas no solo, podem sofrer deformações plásticas de tração e alongamento até atingir a ruptura, proporcionando a melhora nos parâmetros mecânicos do solo. / [en] A large number of new geotechnical materials was developed based on the addition of fibrous materials being incorporated as reinforcement. The technique of reinforced soil can be represented by the production and application, not only natural fiber, but also synthetic fibers and polymer. Previous studies of soil reinforced with polypropylene fibers have shown significant improvement of mechanical properties of soils, such as increasing the resistance peak and postpeak strength, ductility and toughness. These results show a great potential for this type of fiber, when used as soil reinforcement, for example, based on shallow foundations, embankments over soft soils and liners for landfill cover. From mathematical adjustments to determine the interaction between granular soils and the observation of global macro-scale become possible to analyze the behavior of granular soils reinforced with fibers in a micro-mechanics. The numerical modeling of mechanical behavior of soil reinforced with polypropylene fibers, through a micro-mechanical analysis, the tool uses as the Discrete Element Method (DEM), which allows the representation of the soil in 2D, from a set of particles circular discrete elements. The MED rule out the classical view of soil as a continuous form, providing the ability to model it as a constituent particle. Its formulation is based on the balance of forces and displacements generated by the contacts, which are explained through the laws of classical physics, allowing the mapping of movements of each particle. The advantage of micro- mechanics is the possibility of explicit microstructures, such as polypropylene fibers, responsible for the change in the behavior of the soil. Based on the study of this phenomenon, caused by the insertion of polypropylene fibers in granular materials, mathematical formulations have been proposed in order to describe the behavior of reinforced soils through the implementation of the Code of discrete elements (DEMlib). After calibration and validation program, the influence due to the insertion of fiber reinforcement to the soil was analyzed, and simulations of biaxial tests on discrete samples of sand, with and without the fibrous reinforcement. The micro-mechanical behavior of blends reinforced allowed evaluating the effects of changes in fiber content present in the soil matrix and different rigidities of the fibers. We conclude that the study by the Discrete Element Method identified the actual interaction between the soil particles and the reinforcement in the form of fiber, indicating that the fibers, when inserted into the soil, may undergo plastic deformation and tensile elongation until the rupture, providing an improvement in mechanical parameters of soil.

Le renforcement des sols en zone sismique par des colonnes ballastées et/ou des inclusions rigides représente une alternative prometteuse et de plus en plus répandue par rapport aux solutions lourdes de fondations sur pieux. On sait que les pieux subissent, du fait de leur rigidité, des moments très importants au niveau de la liaison chevêtre-pieu. Les inclusions rigides surmontées d'un matelas granulaire permettent de mieux dissiper les efforts inertiels transmis par la superstructure, mais peuvent nécessiter des armatures si ce matelas n'est pas suffisamment épais. On peut penser que la colonne à module mixte (CMM) offre une solution combinant l'effet « matelas » à travers sa partie supérieure en colonne ballastée plus flexible et l'effet stabilisateur de la colonne inférieure. Cette thèse présente dans une première partie l'étude expérimentale réalisée au Laboratoire 3S-R (Grenoble) sur des modèles réduits à l'échelle 1/10 afin d'analyser la réponse de ces systèmes sous différentes charges statiques et dynamiques. Le modèle physique se compose d'une semelle carrée reposant directement sur l'argile renforcée. Le chargement vertical et horizontal, statique et dynamique est appliqué par l'intermédiaire de la fondation. Une instrumentation a été placée au niveau de la semelle pour obtenir la réponse globale du système, ainsi que dans la partie rigide inférieure du modèle pour évaluer la répartition des efforts entre inclusion et partie flexible supérieure. Une attention toute particulière a été donnée à la simulation de l'effet inertiel d'un séisme. Les profils de moments, d'efforts tranchants et de déplacements en fonction de la profondeur déterminés à partir de 20 extensomètres répartis régulièrement sur toute la hauteur de la partie rigide ont permis d'étudier l'influence de la hauteur de la colonne ou du matelas. La comparaison entre les déplacements dynamiques de la semelle et les courbes P-y (pression latérale P fonction du déplacement latéral y de la tête de pieu), permet de quantifier la dissipation de l'énergie dans les différentes parties du système. Les résultats expérimentaux montrent que la partie supérieure souple absorbe l'essentiel de l'énergie inertielle sismique. Une modélisation numérique 3D confirme les tendances observées expérimentalement et souligne l'importance du rôle de la zone de transition entre partie souple et partie rigide. / Along with the increasing need of construction land, numerous soil reinforcement technologies are proposed in order to improve the soil mechanical properties on one hand and overall site response on the other hand. The presented study is carried out in the context of seismic soil reinforcement and its interaction with a shallow footing which undergoes inertial loading. The system is studied mainly through physical modelling when reduced scale models are constructed in order to simulate clay reinforcement, which is composed of a rigid lower part associated to a flexible upper part. The soft upper part offers shear and moment capacity and the rigid lower part gives bearing capacity. In order to design the reinforcement elements, the response of this combined system to different static and dynamic loads must be understood. This thesis presents results from a primarily experimental study performed in Laboratoire 3S-R (Grenoble). Two reduced (1/10) physical models consisting of a group of four rigid inclusions associated to an upper flexible part are studied in clay. Combined vertical and horizontal static and dynamic loading is applied with a shallow foundation model. A parametric study is done, varying the height of the flexible part of the models in order to define its effect on the settlements of the foundation and lateral performance of the rigid inclusion. A special emphasis was given to the study of the inertial effects of seismic type loading. For this purpose, one of the rigid inclusions was instrumented with 20 levels strain gauges measuring flexural strain, used to calculate the bending moment along the pile. This gives pile deflection (y) by double integration and soil reaction (P) by double derivation. P-y curves are thus obtained. The analysis of the dynamic deflection of the rigid inclusion compared to the movement of the foundation allowed an estimation of the energy dissipated. The results indicate that a large amount of the seismic energy is dissipated within the upper flexible part of the models. Even though the scaling laws are not strictly respected, the main objective of the physical modelling was to perform a qualitative study of the soil reinforcement, studying its behaviour under inertial loading and pointing out important mechanisms, which should be taken into account by the current practice.

L'objectif de ce travail est d'analyser l'influence du renforcement du sol par la method Soil Mixing sur le comportement des fondations superficielles et profondes. Une étude numérique a été effectuée – avec des analyses éléments finis dans ABAQUS - dans le but d'acquérir une compréhension du fonctionnement et une estimation de la performance des fondations améliorées. Pour être en mesure d'utiliser des colonnes SM pour l'amélioration de la fondation, il est nécessaire de bien comprendre leur performance sous charge axiale statique. Par conséquent, une série de simulations reproduisant des essais de chargement d'une seule colonne, et d’un groupe de colonnes ont été réalisées. Les essais à pleine et petite échelle ont été modélisés et leurs résultats comparés avec les observations expérimentales. Un bon accord entre les prédictions numériques et les mesures confirme une bonne calibration des lois constitutives des sols, des colonnes et de l’interface sol/colonne en SM. En outre, cette étude a révélé que la colonne SM agit d'une manière similaire à un pieu en béton, son comportement est régi principalement par l'interface. Ensuite, la modélisation numérique d’une fondation superficielle à petite échelle a été menée. Deux types de renforcement ont été étudiés. Le premier consiste en une seule colonne, située au centre sous la semelle analysée. Le second cas correspond à un groupe de quatre colonnes SM. Deux densités de sol ont été analysés. L'objectif de la modélisation est d'identifier l'efficacité du renforcement en termes de capacité portante de la fondation et de la réduction de son déplacement vertical. Il a été trouvé que la densité du sable a un impact significatif sur le comportement de la semelle. La variation de densité a entraîné une différence significative entre les forces totales portées par les fondations. Mais, il a été constaté que le pourcentage de la force reprise par le sol par rapport à la force total, est indépendant de la densité. L'influence du renforcement obtenu par un groupe de colonnes SM sur une fondation profonde, a été étudiée. La modélisation numérique d'un seul pieu théorique installé dans le sol homogène, a été réalisée. L'objectif de l'étude est de détecter l'impact de divers paramètres, tels que la distance horizontale entre les colonnes de SM, la distance verticale entre les têtes de colonnes et la pointe de pieu, le diamètre et la longueur des éléments SM, sur la capacité portante de la fondation. On a montré que la distance entre les colonnes et leur diamètre ont la plus grande influence sur la force de charge, la longueur de renforcement conduit à une moindre influence. / The aim of this work is to analyse the influence of soil reinforcement executed by the Soil Mixing method on the behaviour of shallow and deep foundations. Numerical investigation has been carried out - with the use of Finite Element (FE) analyses in ABAQUS - in an attempt to identify the mechanisms guiding the performance of supported foundations. To be able to use SM columns as the foundation’s improvement, it is necessary to fully understand their performance under applied static, axial load. Therefore, a set of simulations reproducing loading tests of single and group of columns have been carried out. Full and small scale tests have been modelled and their results compared with experimental observations. Good agreement between numerical predictions and measurements, confirms proper calibration of the chosen constitutive laws of: soils, columns and interactions between them. Moreover, this study has revealed that the SM column acts in a similar way to concrete pile, hence its behaviour is governed mainly by the interface. Afterwards, numerical modelling of small scale shallow foundation has been accomplished. Two kinds of reinforcement have been investigated. The first one consists of a single column situated centrally under the analysed footing. The second kind of improvement involves group of four SM columns. Two densities of soil have been analysed. The goal of the modelling is to identify the efficiency of the reinforcement in terms of: bearing capacity of the foundation and reduction of its vertical displacement. Despite significant difference between total forces borne by the foundation tested on soil with different densities, it has been found that the percentage of the total force that was taken by the soil is density independent. The influence of reinforcement executed by group of SM columns on a deep foundation has been studied. Numerical modelling of a theoretical, single pile, installed in homogeneous soil, has been carried out. The aim of the investigation is to detect the impact of parameters such as: pattern of reinforcing elements, horizontal distance between SM columns, vertical distance between columns’ heads and tip of the pile, diameter and length of SM elements, on the bearing capacity of the foundation. It has been found that the distance between columns and their diameter has the biggest influence on the borne force. However, the length of the reinforcement has shown the least significant influence.

Limit analysis is a very powerful tool to find accurate solutions of several geotechnical stability problems. This analysis is based on the theory of the plasticity and it provides two limiting solutions within lower and upper bounds. With the advancement of the finite elements and different robust optimization techniques, the numerical limit analysis approach in association with finite elements is becoming quite popular to assess the stability of various complicated structures. The present thesis deals with the formulations and the implementation of the finite element limit analysis to obtain the solutions of different geotechnical axisymmetric stability problems. The objectives of the present thesis are twofold: (a) developing limit analysis formulations in conjunction with linear and nonlinear optimizations for solving axisymmetric stability problems related with soil and rock mechanics, and then (b) implementing these axisymmetric formulations for solving various important axisymmetric stability problems in geomechanics. Three noded linear triangular elements have been used throughout the thesis. In order to solve the different problems, the associated computer programs have been written in MATLAB. With reference to the first objective of the thesis, the existing finite element lower bound axisymmetric formulation with linear programming has been presented. A new technique has also been proposed for solving an axisymmetric geomechanics stability problem by employing an upper bound limit analysis in combination with finite elements and linear programming. The method is based on the application of the von-Karman hypothesis to fix the constraints associated with the magnitude of the circumferential stress (), and finally the method involves only the nodal velocities as the basic unknown variables. The required computational effort becomes only marginally greater than that needed for an equivalent plane strain problem. The proposed methodology has been found to be computationally quite efficient. A new lower bound axisymmetric limit analysis formulation, by using two dimensional finite elements, the three dimensional Mohr-Coulomb (MC) yield criterion, and nonlinear optimization has also been presented for solving different axisymmetric stability problems in geomechanics. The nonlinear optimization was carried out by employing an interior point method based on the logarithmic barrier function. The yield surface was smoothened (i) by removing the tip singularity at the apex of the pyramid in the meridian plane, and (ii) by eliminating the stress discontinuities at the corners of the yield hexagon in the plane. No inherent assumption concerning with the hoop stress needs to be made in this formulation. The Drucker-Prager (DP) yield criterion was also used for computing the lower bound axisymmetric collapse load. The advantage of using the DP yield criterion is that it does not exhibit any singularity in the plane. A new proposal has also been given to simulate the DP yield cone with the MC hexagonal yield pyramid. The generalized Hoek-Brown (HB) yield criterion has also been used. This criterion has been smoothened both in the meridian and  planes and a new formulation is prescribed for obtaining the lower bound axisymmetric problems in rock media in combination with finite elements and nonlinear optimization. With reference to the second objective, a few important axisymmetric stability problems in soil mechanics associated with footings and excavations have been solved in the present thesis. In all these problems, except that of a flat circular footing lying over either homogeneous soil or rock media, it is assumed that the medium is governed by the MC failure criterion and it follows an associated flow rule. For determining the collapse loads for a circular footing over homogenous soil and rock media, the problem has been solved with the usage of Drucker-Prager, Mohr-Coulomb and Hoek-Brown criteria. The bearing capacity of a circular footing lying over fully cohesive strata, with an inclusion of a sand layer is evaluated. The effects of the thickness and internal friction angle of the sand layer () on the bearing capacity have been examined for different combinations of cu/(b) and q; where (i) cu defines the undrained shear strength, (ii)  is the unit weight of sand, (iii) b corresponds to the footing radius, and (iv) q is the surcharge pressure. The results have been presented in the form of a ratio () of the bearing capacities with an insertion of the sand layer to that for a footing lying directly over clayey strata. It is noted that an introduction of a layer of medium dense to dense sand over soft clay improves considerably the bearing capacity of the foundation. The improvement in the bearing capacity increases continuously (i) with decreases in cu/(b), and (ii) increases in  and q/(b). The bearing capacity factors, Nc, Nq and N, for a conical footing are obtained in a bound form for a wide range of the values of cone apex angle () and with  = 0, 0.5 and . The bearing capacity factors for a perfectly rough ( = conical footing generally increase with a decrease in . On contrary for  = 0, the factors Nc and Nq reduce gradually with a decrease in . For  = 0, the factor N for  ≥ 35o becomes minimum for  approximately equal to 90o. For  = 0, the factor N for  ≤ 30o, like in the case of  = , generally reduces with an increase in . It has also been intended to compute the bearing capacity factors Nc, Nq and N, for smooth and rough ring footing for different combinations of ri/ro and ; where ri and ro refer to inner and outer radii of the ring, respectively. It is observed that for a smooth footing, with a given value of ro, the magnitude of the collapse load decreases continuously with an increase in ri. On the other hand, for a rough base, for a given value of ro, hardly any reduction occurs in the magnitude of collapse load up to ri/ro ≈ 0.2, whereas beyond this ri/ro, the magnitude of the collapse load, similar to that of a smooth footing, decreases continuously with an increase in ri/ro. An attempt has also been made to determine the ultimate bearing capacity of a circular footing, placed over a soil mass which is reinforced with horizontal layers of circular reinforcement sheets. For performing the analysis, three different soil media have been separately considered, namely, (i) fully granular, (ii) cohesive frictional, and (iii) fully cohesive with an additional provision to account for an increase of cohesion with depth. The reinforcement sheets are assumed to be structurally strong to resist axial tension but without having any resistance to bending; such an approximation usually holds good for geogrid sheets. The shear failure between the reinforcement sheet and adjoining soil mass has been considered. The increase in the magnitudes of the bearing capacity factors (Nc and N) with an inclusion of the reinforcement has been computed in terms of the efficiency factors c and . The critical positions and corresponding optimum diameter of the reinforcement sheets, for achieving the maximum bearing capacity, have also been established. The increase in the bearing capacity with an employment of the reinforcement increases continuously with an increase in . The improvement in the bearing capacity becomes quite extensive for two layers of the reinforcements as compared to the single layer of the reinforcement. The stability of an unsupported vertical cylindrical excavation has been assessed. For the purpose of design, stability numbers (Sn) have been generated for both (i) cohesive frictional soils, and (ii) pure cohesive soils with an additional provision to account for linearly increasing cohesion with depth by using a non-dimensional factor m. The variation of Sn with H/b has been established for different values of m and ; where H and b refer to height and radius of the cylindrical excavation. A number of useful observations have been drawn about the variation of the stability number and nodal velocity patterns with changes in H/b,  and m. In the last, by using the smoothened generalized HB yield criterion, the ultimate bearing capacity of a circular footing placed over a rock mass is evaluated in a non-dimensional form for different values of GSI, mi, ci/(b) and q/ci. For validating the results, computations were exclusively performed for a strip footing as well. For the various problems selected in the present thesis, the failure and nodal velocity patterns have been examined. The results obtained from the analysis have been thoroughly compared with that reported from literature. It is expected that the various design charts presented here will be useful for the practicing engineers. The formulations given in the thesis can also be further used for solving various axisymmetric stability problems in geomechanics.

O melhor comportamento de uma estrutura de solo reforçado com geossintéticos não depende só da elevada resistência à tração da inclusão, mas também da sua rigidez e do nível de carregamento sob o qual a estrutura está submetida. Dessa maneira, a interação entre o reforço e as respectivas camadas de solo ao seu redor torna-se de grande importância, pois a mobilização cisalhante combina a deformação da interface solo-reforço e o alongamento do geossintético. Sendo que a melhor forma de avaliar a interação entre o solo e a geogrelha é por meio de ensaios de arrancamento, pensa-se na realização de ensaios de arrancamento cíclico para analisar a interação dinâmica entre o solo e a inclusão quando certas estruturas são submetidas a esse tipo de solicitação. Por causa disso, o objetivo principal deste trabalho é analisar o efeito produzido por carregamentos monotônicos e cíclicos de interface numa geogrelha biaxial de polipropileno, quando inserida na interface de um solo argiloso e um solo arenoso sob diferentes tensões de confinamento. Para isso, são utilizados os equipamentos de pequenas e grandes dimensões do Laboratório de Geossintéticos da EESC-USP, visando avaliar a sua relação e a viabilidade de uso do equipamento de pequenas dimensões. Inicialmente foram realizados ensaios de arrancamento monotônico em ambos os equipamentos sob tensões de confinamento de 25, 50 e 100 kPa, sendo que as resistências obtidas com as tensões de 25 e 100 kPa permitiram definir as amplitudes do carregamento cíclico correspondentes ao 20% de tais valores. Adicionalmente, após a aplicação dos 10.000 ciclos de carga correspondentes à capacidade do equipamento, foi aplicado novamente um carregamento monotônico com o intuito de determinar o efeito do carregamento dinâmico na resistência ao arrancamento e assim poder realizar as respectivas comparações com os valores iniciais. Com base nos resultados obtidos, foi possível observar a diferença no grau de confinamento entre ambos os equipamentos, sendo maior no de grandes dimensões por causa da melhor distribuição das tensões sobre a área ocupada pela geogrelha. Adicionalmente, o grau de confinamento em ambos os equipamentos também influenciou a diferença no efeito do carregamento dinâmico, sendo de desconfinamento no de grandes dimensões e de densificação no de pequenas dimensões. / The best behavior of a reinforced soil structure with geosynthetics not only depends on the high tensile strength of the inclusion, but also on its rigidity and the loading level in which the structure is subjected. Thus, the interaction between the reinforcement and the respective layers of soil around, becomes very important because the shear mobilization combines the deformation of the soil-reinforcement interface and the lengthening of the geosynthetic. Since the best way to assess the soil-geogrid interaction is through pullout tests, it is thought in performing cyclic pullout tests to examine the dynamic soil-inclusion interaction when some structures are submitted to that kind of loads. Because of that, the main objective of this work is to analize the effect that is produced by monotonic and cyclic interface loading on a biaxial polypropylene geogrid, when it is inserted into the interface of a clayey soil and a sandy soil under different confinement stresses. For that, the small and large dimensions equipments of the Geosynthetics Laboratory at EESC-USP are used, looking to evaluate their relationship and the feasibility of using a small dimensions equipment. Initially, they were performed monotonic pullout tests in both equipments under confinement stresses of 25, 50 and 100 kPa, wherein the pullout strengths obtained with 25 and 100 kPa allowed the definition of the load cyclic amplitudes, which corresponded to 20% of such values. Additionally, after applying 10.000 load cycles, corresponding to the capacity of the equipment, it was applied a monotonic loading in order to determine the dynamic loading effect on pullout strength, being useful to compare such values with the initial response. Based on the obtained results, it was possible to observe the difference in the confinement degree between both equipments, being higher in the large one because of the better stress distribution on the geogrid area. Aditionally, the confinement degree in both equipments also influenced the difference in the dynamic loading effect, being deconfinement in the soil-geogrid interface of the large one and densification in the other one.

O melhor comportamento de uma estrutura de solo reforçado com geossintéticos não depende só da elevada resistência à tração da inclusão, mas também da sua rigidez e do nível de carregamento sob o qual a estrutura está submetida. Dessa maneira, a interação entre o reforço e as respectivas camadas de solo ao seu redor torna-se de grande importância, pois a mobilização cisalhante combina a deformação da interface solo-reforço e o alongamento do geossintético. Sendo que a melhor forma de avaliar a interação entre o solo e a geogrelha é por meio de ensaios de arrancamento, pensa-se na realização de ensaios de arrancamento cíclico para analisar a interação dinâmica entre o solo e a inclusão quando certas estruturas são submetidas a esse tipo de solicitação. Por causa disso, o objetivo principal deste trabalho é analisar o efeito produzido por carregamentos monotônicos e cíclicos de interface numa geogrelha biaxial de polipropileno, quando inserida na interface de um solo argiloso e um solo arenoso sob diferentes tensões de confinamento. Para isso, são utilizados os equipamentos de pequenas e grandes dimensões do Laboratório de Geossintéticos da EESC-USP, visando avaliar a sua relação e a viabilidade de uso do equipamento de pequenas dimensões. Inicialmente foram realizados ensaios de arrancamento monotônico em ambos os equipamentos sob tensões de confinamento de 25, 50 e 100 kPa, sendo que as resistências obtidas com as tensões de 25 e 100 kPa permitiram definir as amplitudes do carregamento cíclico correspondentes ao 20% de tais valores. Adicionalmente, após a aplicação dos 10.000 ciclos de carga correspondentes à capacidade do equipamento, foi aplicado novamente um carregamento monotônico com o intuito de determinar o efeito do carregamento dinâmico na resistência ao arrancamento e assim poder realizar as respectivas comparações com os valores iniciais. Com base nos resultados obtidos, foi possível observar a diferença no grau de confinamento entre ambos os equipamentos, sendo maior no de grandes dimensões por causa da melhor distribuição das tensões sobre a área ocupada pela geogrelha. Adicionalmente, o grau de confinamento em ambos os equipamentos também influenciou a diferença no efeito do carregamento dinâmico, sendo de desconfinamento no de grandes dimensões e de densificação no de pequenas dimensões. / The best behavior of a reinforced soil structure with geosynthetics not only depends on the high tensile strength of the inclusion, but also on its rigidity and the loading level in which the structure is subjected. Thus, the interaction between the reinforcement and the respective layers of soil around, becomes very important because the shear mobilization combines the deformation of the soil-reinforcement interface and the lengthening of the geosynthetic. Since the best way to assess the soil-geogrid interaction is through pullout tests, it is thought in performing cyclic pullout tests to examine the dynamic soil-inclusion interaction when some structures are submitted to that kind of loads. Because of that, the main objective of this work is to analize the effect that is produced by monotonic and cyclic interface loading on a biaxial polypropylene geogrid, when it is inserted into the interface of a clayey soil and a sandy soil under different confinement stresses. For that, the small and large dimensions equipments of the Geosynthetics Laboratory at EESC-USP are used, looking to evaluate their relationship and the feasibility of using a small dimensions equipment. Initially, they were performed monotonic pullout tests in both equipments under confinement stresses of 25, 50 and 100 kPa, wherein the pullout strengths obtained with 25 and 100 kPa allowed the definition of the load cyclic amplitudes, which corresponded to 20% of such values. Additionally, after applying 10.000 load cycles, corresponding to the capacity of the equipment, it was applied a monotonic loading in order to determine the dynamic loading effect on pullout strength, being useful to compare such values with the initial response. Based on the obtained results, it was possible to observe the difference in the confinement degree between both equipments, being higher in the large one because of the better stress distribution on the geogrid area. Aditionally, the confinement degree in both equipments also influenced the difference in the dynamic loading effect, being deconfinement in the soil-geogrid interface of the large one and densification in the other one.

The various aspects of the 3D cellular confinement systems (geocells) subjected to static loading are comprehensively studied with the help of experimental and numerical studies. The performances of the geocells were separately studied in both sand and clay beds. Laboratory tests were performed on single as well as multiple cells. The behavior of 3D-cells made of different materials such as Novel polymeric alloy, geogrids and bamboo were compared. Moreover, the performances of the geocells were compared with other forms of geosynthetic reinforcements namely, geogrids and the combination of geocells and geogrids. In addition to comprehensive experimental study, 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional numerical modelling efforts are also presented. A Realistic approach of modelling the geocells in 3D framework has been proposed; which considers the actual curvature of the geocell pockets. An Analytical equation has been proposed to estimate the increase in the bearing capacity of the geocell reinforced soft clay beds. Similarly, a set of equations to estimate the stress and strains on the surface of the geocells subjected to compressive loading were also proposed. A case study highlighting the innovative use of the geocell foundation to support the embankment on soft settled red mud has been documented in the thesis. A new and emerging application of geocell to protect underground utilities and the buried pipelines has been proposed. At the end, behavior of the geocell under cyclic loading has also been discussed. Firstly, laboratory model tests were performed to understand the behavior of the geocells in sand and clay beds. Test results of unreinforced, geogrid reinforced, geocell reinforced, and geocell reinforced with additional planar geogrid at the base of the geocell cases were compared separately for sand and clay beds. Results revealed that the use of geocells increases the ultimate bearing capacity of the sand bed by 2.9 times and clay bed by 3.6 times. Provision of the basal geogrid increases the ultimate load carrying capacity of the sand and clay bed by about 3.6 times and 4.9 times, respectively. Besides increasing the load carrying capacity, provision of the planar geogrid at the base of the cellular mattress arrests the surface heaving and prevents the rotational failure of the footing. Geocells contribute to the load carrying capacity of the foundation bed, even at very low settlements. In addition, the effect of infill materials on the performance of the geocell was also studied. Three different infill materials, namely aggregate, sand and local red soil were used in the study. Results suggest that the performance of the geocell was not heavily influenced by the infill materials. Out of which aggregate found to be slightly better than other two infill materials. Further, 2-dimensional numerical studies using FLAC2D (Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua in 2D) were carried out to validate the experimental findings. The equivalent composite approach was used to model the geocells in 2-dimensional framework. The results obtained from the FLAC2D were in good agreement with the experimental results. However, in the sand bed, FLAC2D overestimated the bearing pressure by 15% to 20% at higher settlements. In addition, the joint strength and the wall deformation characteristics of the geocells were studied at the single cell level. The study helps to understand the causes for the failure of the single cell in a cellular confinement system. Experimental studies were conducted on single cells with cell pockets filled up with three different infill materials, namely, silty clay, sand and the aggregates. The results of the experimental study revealed that the deformation of the geocell wall decreases with the increase in the friction angle of the infill material. Measured strain values were found to be in the range of 0.64% to 1.34% for different infill materials corresponding to the maximum applied bearing pressure of 290 kPa. Experimental results were also validated using FLAC3D. Findings from the numerical studies were in accordance with the experimental results. A simple analytical model based on the theory of thin cylinders was also proposed to calculate the accumulated strain of the geocell wall. This model operates under a simple elastic solution framework. The proposed model slightly overestimates the strains as compared to experimental and numerical values. A realistic approach of modelling the geocells in 3-dimensional (3D) framework has been proposed. Numerical simulations have been carried out by forming the actual 3D honeycomb shape of the geocells using the finite difference package FLAC3D. Geocells were modeled using the geogrid structural element available in the FLAC 3D with the inclusion of the interface element. Geocells, foundation soil and the infill soil were modeled with the different material model to match the real case scenario. The Mohr Colombo model was used to simulate the behavior of the sand bed while modified Cam clay was used to simulate the behavior of the clay bed. It was found that the geocells distribute the load in lateral direction to a relatively shallow depth as compared to unreinforced case. More than 50% reduction in the stress in the presence of geocells and more than 70% reduction in the stress in the presence geocells with basal geogrid were observed in sand and clay beds. The numerical model was also validated with the experimental studies and the results were found to be in good agreement with each other. The validated numerical model was used to study the influence of various properties of the geocells on the performance of the reinforced foundation beds. The performance of the foundation bed was directly influenced by the modulus and the height of the geocells. Similarly, the pocket size of the geocell inversely affected the performance of the reinforced beds. The geocell with textured surface yielded better performance than the geocell with smooth surface. A case history of the construction of a 3 m high embankment on the geocell foundation over the soft settled red mud has been documented. Red mud is a waste product from the Bayer process of Aluminium industry. The reported embankment is located in Lanjigharh (Orissa) in India. The geotechnical problems of the site, the design of the geocell foundation based on experimental investigation and the construction sequences of the geocell foundations in the field are discussed. Based on the experimental studies, an analytical model was also developed to estimate the load carrying capacity of the soft clay bed reinforced with geocell and the combination of geocell and geogrid. The solution was established by superimposing the three mechanisms viz. lateral resistance effect, vertical stress dispersion effect and the membrane effect. By knowing the pressure applied on the geocell, tensile strength of the geogrid and the limiting settlement, the increment in the load carrying capacity can be calculated. The analytical model was validated with the experimental results and the results were found to be in good agreement with each other. The results of the experimental and analytical studies revealed that the use of the combination of geocell and the geogrid is always beneficial than using the geocell alone. Hence, the combination of geocell and geogrid was recommended to stabilize the embankment base in Lanjigharh. Over 15,000 mof embankment base was stabilized using geocell foundation. The foundation work was completed within 15 days using locally available labors and the equipment. Construction of the embankment on the geocell foundation has already been completed. The constructed embankment has already sustained two monsoon rains without any cracks and seepage. Like Aluminum tailings (redmud), geocell foundations can also be used in various other mine tailings like zinc, copper etc. Geocell foundation can offer potential solutions to storage problems faced by various mining industries. The thesis also proposes a potential alternative to the geocells in the form of bamboocells in order to suit the Indian scenario. Indian has the 2nd largest source of bamboo in the world. The areas particularly rich in bamboo are the North Eastern States, the Western Ghats, Chattisgarh and Andaman Nicobar Islands. The tensile strength and surface roughness of the bamboo was found to be 9 times and 3 times higher than geocell materials. In order to use the bamboo effectively, 3D cells (similar to geocells) and 2D grids (similar to geogrids) are formed using bamboo known as bamboocells and bamboogrids respectively. The idea behind forming bamboocells is to extract the additional confining effect on the encapsulated soil by virtue of its 3-dimensional shape. The laboratory investigations were performed on a clay bed reinforced with natural (bamboo) and commercial (geosynthetics) reinforcement materials. The performance of bamboocells and bamboogrids reinforced clay beds were compared with the clay bed reinforced with geocells and geogrids. The ultimate bearing capacity of the bamboocell and bamboogrid reinforced clay bed was found to be 1.3 times that of reinforced with geocell and geogrid. The settlement of the clay bed was reduced by 97% due to the insertion of the combination of the bamboocell and bamboogrid as compared to the unreinforced clay bed. The bamboo was treated chemically to increase the durability. The performance of the bamboo was reduced by 15-20% after the chemical treatment; still the performance was better than its geosynthetic counterparts. Analytical studies revealed that the 3% of the ultimate tensile strength of the bamboogrid was mobilized while resisting the footing load. The study also explored the new and innovative applications of the geocells to protect underground utilities and buried pipelines. The laboratory model tests and the numerical studies were performed on small diameter PVC pipes, buried in geocell reinforced sand beds. In addition to geocells, the efficacy of only geogrid and geocell with additional basal geogrid cases were also studied. A PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride) pipe with external diameter 75 mm and thickness 1.4 mm was used in the experiments. The vehicle tire contact pressure was simulated by applying the pressure on the top of the bed with the help of a steel plate. Results suggest that the use of geocells with additional basal geogrid considerably reduces the deformation of the pipe as compared to other types of reinforcements. Further, the depth of placement of pipe was also varied between 1B to 2B (B is the width of loading plate) below the plate in the presence of geocell with additional basal geogrid. More than 50% reduction in the pressure and more than 40% reduction in the strain values were observed in the presence of reinforcements at different depths as compared to the unreinforced beds. Further, experimental results were validated with 3-dimensional numerical studies using 3D FLAC. Good agreement in the measured pipe stain values were observed between the experimental and numerical studies. In addition, the results of the 1-g model tests were scaled up to the prototype case of the shallow buried pipeline below the pavement using the appropriate scaling laws. The efficacy of the geocells was also studied under the action of cyclic loading. The laboratory cyclic plate load tests were performed in soft clay bed by considering the three different cases, namely, unreinforced, geocell reinforced and geocell with additional basal geogrid reinforced. The coefficient of elastic uniform compression (Cu) was evaluated from the cyclic plate load tests for the different cases. The Cu value was found to increase in the presence of geocell reinforcement. The maximum increase in the Cu value was obtained for the case of the clay bed reinforced with the combination of geocell and the geogrid. The results of the laboratory model tests were extrapolated to prototype foundation supporting the low frequency reciprocating machine. The results revealed that, in the presence of the combination of geocell and the geogrid the natural frequency of the foundation-soil system increases by 4 times and the amplitude of the vibration reduces by 92%.