Thesis supervisor: Edina Koch
Location of studies (in Hungarian): Széchenyi istván University Abbreviation of location of studies: SZE
Description of the research topic:
Different types of geosynthetics are used as reinforcing materials for ground improvement.
The geocell and geogrid are widely used in railway and road embankments, steep slopes,
retaining walls and foundations. In the last years, many experimental researches have shown
improvements in bearing capacity due to the use of these materials and its effect of confinement
strength. The geocell improves the embankment stiffness under monotonic loading and its
resilience under cyclic loading. The reinforced ballast embankments exhibited less vertical and
lateral deformations than the unreinforced embankments did.
This research program aims to investigate and model the effect of geocell and geogrid layers
on both bearing capacity and settlement of railway embankments when subjected to lateral
forces. The objective is to reduce this lateral displacement specially on railway curves increasing
the safety, velocity, and cost for embankment constructions. The research topic will be based
on site measurements and numerical analysis using geotechnical FEM software.