Evaluating geosynthetic base stabilization on lateritic gravel and granular material under cyclic moving wheel loads

This study presents an experimental investigation on seven geosynthetic stabilized and unstabilized sections subjected to cycling moving wheel loading. Tests were conducted on lateritic clay mixed with gravel and unbounded granular base coarse materials at two different thicknesses. All test sections were constructed on a low California bearing ratio clay subgrade. After constructing each layer, a static plate test was conducted to evaluate the post-compaction strain modulus. Findings indicated that the base coarse deterioration mechanisms were different for both materials. The lateritic base course presented a higher modulus and lower values of permanent deformation compared with the granular base course. It was also observed that the presence of the geosynthetic reduced the maximum rut depth and stress in the subgrade. Lastly, the back-calculated moduli showed that the stabilized sections had a base improvement factor ranging from 1.20 to 2.32. Also, the stabilized lateritic gravel course sections presented an increase in subgrade moduli.