| A finite element analysis, by means of ABAQUS, has been undertaken to study the effects of inserting geogrid layers in the soil cover of a circular soil-steel bridge with a diameter of 7.6 m. Two loads are applied to the soil-steel bridge: gravity, as well as a truck load defined by the Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code design truck. Because experimentation and design of geogrids involve the application of a strip load, it is necessary to apply a strip load at the soil surface. Therefore, the rear two axles of the truck, separated by 1.2 m, are the largest loads of the truck and are converted into a strip load in order to model the strip load utilized for study of geogrids.; The study analyzed different depths of cover above the flexible pipe, with unreinforced and reinforced soil cover. Geogrids are placed in soil in order to increase the bearing capacity of the soil. It is expected that the geogrid will increase the load carrying capacity of the soil-steel bridge. Thus, various geogrid layers are placed in the specified depths of cover over the flexible pipe. Two types of strip loading, concentric and eccentric, will be applied, and each was applied until failure of the soil occurs. Concentric load is defined as the strip load applied at the soil surface where the centre of the strip load is directly above the crown of the pipe. Eccentric load is defined by the strip load applied at the soil surface offset a horizontal distance from the crown of the pipe.; Soil behaviour due to the failure load, defined by vertical and horizontal displacements and shear stresses of the soil, are presented for the two types of load cases for the unreinforced and reinforced soil cover above the circular soil-steel bridge. Also, factors of safety are presented, defined by the failure strip load divided by the applied truck strip load from the design code. |
