Rufaida Zikria

Under field conditions, soils are subjected to various shear stresses due to dynamic loads such as that from a railway or heavy trucks on roads, that may potentially endanger the integrity of the underlying support foundations, as resulting settlements on weaker ground are significantly higher. Initial studies reveal that geosynthetic reinforcement is one of the most effective and sustainable techniques of ground improvement. Sustainable because it reduces CO2 emissions by up to 50%. This technique was first developed by the US Army Corps of Engineers in the 1970s to devise construction techniques for tactical bridge approach roads across weak ground, however the main principle of confinement increasing strength can be traced back to much earlier civilisations. Research shows that sand-confinement systems such as geosynthetic cells performed better than conventional crushed stone. Common geosynthetics used for reinforcement include woven geotextile, geogrid, and geocell. Geo-cells are the three-dimensional forms of interconnected honeycomb that are not widely used as compared to geo-grids and geo-textile due to lack of research on the design methods and behaviour under static and dynamic loads. Research has shown that use of geocells is proven to be cost effective with reduced and economic usage of valuable natural resources, including metal / aggregates, sand, cement, etc. These cells completely encase weak material such as soil, stones, etc.