Comparison of field performance between bamboo-geotextile composite embankment and high strength geotextile embankment

Abstract

Trial embankment approximately 3 meters height, 10 meters of length, 16 meters width, and a slope of 1V: 2H was completed on soft clay site at RECESS, UTHM, Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia. Two embankments were respectively reinforced by a high strength geotextile (HSG) and the combination of bamboo and low strength geotextile or bamboo-geotextile composite (BGC) at the interface between embankment fill and foundation soil. Each embankment was installed with the same geotechnical instrumentation scheme for monitoring purposes. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the field performance for both embankments in terms of improving settlement embankment under the embankment. For this purpose, the settlement under the embankment, settlement at the surface of the embankment and the excess pore water pressure response were measured through geotechnical instrumentation for over 418 days. The results showed that the BGC system is more practical than HSG in terms of settlement and also in terms of cost, without compromising the quality of the embankment performance.