Experimental Study of Soil Water Characteristic Curve for a Clayey Soil Reinforced with Model Geocell for Freezing-Thawing Cycles

Abstract

The category of geosynthetics includes geocells as a common subclass. As a low-cost, easilyinstalled solution to soil stabilisation problems, geocells are gaining popularity in the field of geotechnical engineering. Assessing and measuring the matric potential of geocell reinforced soil subjected to alternating freezing-thawing cycles depends on understanding the water retention behaviour of the soil. The water retention properties of geocell reinforced soil are influenced by alternate freezing-thawing cycles. For the objective of this study, the thawing soil freezing characteristic curve (SFCC) of a clayey soil with variable numbers of model geocells was determined (0, 1, and 2 number). With the progression of freezingthawing cycles, which dramatically changed the retention behaviour of reinforcing soil, the matric potential was measured using the filter paper method methodology. The thawing SFCC for reinforced soil with model geocell was assessed using the van Genuchten model. For the studied soil with varied numbers of model geocells, the VG model was evaluated for five consecutive freezing-thawing cycles, demonstrating its efficacy in determining the retention behaviour of geocell reinforced soils. The experimental findings showed that the matric potential in SFCC has considerably enhanced due to the presence of model geocell.