Stability and performance of ground improvement using geocell mattresses under extreme weather

Owing to the rapid change in our living environment, extreme weather and its ensuing effect should become a focus of future engineering designs. Therefore, the underlying scope of this study is to evaluate the performance of a relatively new method in ground improvement under a harsh condition, simulating its response to intense rainfall as a result of extreme weather. The model tests show that the ground with the geocell reinforcement is of higher bearing capacity, compared to a natural ground without reinforcement. In addition, the tension cracks around the footing, which was observed in the natural ground, would not develop in the reinforced soil. The cause to the improved bearing capacity in the soil is in line with the finding through element testing suggesting that the geocell with soil infilled in the pocket as an integrated material equivalently becomes a cohesive material. On the other hand, the deformed geocell under the footing would develop a high passive earth pressure, larger than the water pressure possibly resulting in the tension cracks around the footing in a natural ground without the geocell reinforcement.