Analytical method for evaluating the tensioned membrane effect in the geosynthetic-reinforced unsaturated embankment soil subjected to localized sinkholes

In karst regions, the occurrence of sinkholes is a common cause of roadway failures, leading to significant embankment deformation and instability. The advantages of geosynthetic reinforcement have been proven in practice in numerous countermeasures to lessen the impact of localized sinkholes, and associated design methodologies have been developed. However, some existing design methods assume there is no deformation in geosynthetics embedded in soils, and the effect of matric suction in soils is not considered either. This study suggested an analytical approach that took into account the strain in the geosynthetic reinforcements as well as the impact of matric suction. The developed design method was used to conduct parameter studies under various matric suction conditions. The method was validated against the experimental results, and the feasibility of the developed method was also compared with the existing design methods. The findings demonstrate that, in comparison to the method created here, existing design methodologies produce more conservative results. The strain and the deflection of the geosynthetic calculated using the suggested method are lower than those provided by the current design methodologies.