Geogrids under dynamic loading

This article describes the use of high-strength geosynthetic reinforcement products to improve the bearing performance of a railway embankment on the Munich-Augsburg railway line in Germany. In order to improve the capacity of the line, two additional tracks were installed on the north side of the existing embankment. The new embankment section is founded on unreinforced concrete columns and on stone columns that transmit the vertical loads through a soft organic clay layer to bearing ground. The embankment was reinforced with four layers of knitted geogrids, FORTRAC, composed of high-tenacity PET yarns. The performance of the geogrids under dynamic action was studied by specific cyclic load endurance testing. The design life of the structure was 120 years. The design maximum tensile force of the geogrids reinforcement was estimated as 60 kN/m.