Effect of vibration frequency on settlement characteristic of reinforced embankment by geogrid with strengthened nodes using DEM simulation

Geogrid with strengthened nodes (GSN) is a new reinforcement system that is formed by attaching blocks of a certain thickness to the joints of the longitudinal and transverse ribs of an ordinary biaxial geogrid to form strengthened nodes. A series of discrete element method (DEM) simulations were performed to investigate the dynamic response of GSN-reinforced embankment at various vibration frequencies and compare the reinforcing effect of GSN with that of the ordinary geogrid. It was concluded that the settlement ratio of the loading platen at the top of the unreinforced and reinforced embankment decreases with the increase of the vibration frequency. As the frequency increases, the difference between the settlement ratios decreases, which is especially evident in the reinforced embankment. At the same frequency, GSN performs better in restricting the settlement ratio than the ordinary geogrid, and as the frequency increases, the reinforcing effects of both the ordinary geogrid and GSN decrease. The displacement fields of the simulated embankments were analyzed. It was found that the movement of soil particles below the loading platen is restricted due to the presence of the geogrid, resulting in less settlement of the loading platen and smaller lateral deformation of the embankment slope, compared with the unreinforced embankment. As for the GSN-reinforced embankment, the strengthened nodes provide resistance to soil particles, leading to a more effective reinforcing effect, so that the displacement vectors are even smaller.