Analytical and numerical studies on geosynthetic mattress resting on deformable foundation soil

Geosynthetic mattress is different from Geosynthetic tubes as its horizontal dimension is much greater than the vertical one. When geosynthetic mattress is used for dyke construction, they are often laid on soft ground where large settlement may take place. In this paper, two dimensional analysis of geosynthetic mattress resting on deformable foundation soil is presented. The deformable foundation soil is assumed to be an elastic Winkler type represented by the modulus of subgrade reaction, K_f. The study shows that the smaller the modulus, the smaller the height of the geo-tube above the ground surface and the higher the tensile force in the geotextile or geomembrane given the other conditions the same. When the foundation soil has a modulus higher than 1000 kPa/m which is representative of soft clay, the foundation soil can be assumed to be rigid in the analysis. The results obtained from the method proposed in this paper are also compared with those from finite elements studies for verification. The differences between the solutions are also discussed.