Soil arching is one of the main load transfer mechanisms of geosynthetic‐reinforced and pile‐supported (GRPS) embankments. This study established a numerical spring‐based trapdoor model that can consider the coupling effect between embankment filling, horizontal geosynthetic, piles, and soft soil between piles by the discrete element method (DEM). The effects of multiple factors on the deformation pattern, load transfer, and the settlement at the top surface of GRPS embankments were analyzed, such as soft soil stiffness, geosynthetic stiffness, fill height, and pile clear spacing. The multiple spring‐based trapdoor (MS‐TD) model effectively replicated the actual deformation of soft soil between piles in engineering practice by elucidating the nonuniform settlement of the fill on the trapdoor. Although the geosynthetic indirectly reduces the load transferred to the pile top by weakening the soil arching, it can directly increase the load transferred to the pile top by the membrane effect, thereby increasing the total load transferred to the pile top. The effect of the geosynthetic on reducing settlement decreases with the increase of soft soil stiffness, and the displacement reduction ratio at the top surface remains unchanged when it exceeds a certain value. In addition, the shape of the soil arch evolves rather than unchanged during the growth of pile clear spacing.

中文翻译：

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GRPS 路堤中的土拱演化：基于弹簧的活板门数值试验


土拱是土工合成材料加筋桩基（GRPS）路堤的主要荷载传递机制之一。本研究建立了基于弹簧的活板数值模型，通过离散元法（DEM）考虑路堤填土、水平土工合成材料、桩以及桩间软土之间的耦合效应。分析了软土刚度、土工合成材料刚度、填土高度、桩净间距等多种因素对GRPS路堤顶面变形模式、荷载传递和沉降的影响。基于多弹簧的活板门（MS-TD）模型通过阐明活板门上填料的不均匀沉降，有效地复制了工程实践中桩间软土的实际变形。虽然土工合成材料通过削弱土拱间接减少了传递到桩顶的荷载，但它可以通过膜效应直接增加传递到桩顶的荷载，从而增加传递到桩顶的总荷载。土工合成材料减少沉降的效果随着软土刚度的增加而减小，超过一定值后顶面位移减少率保持不变。此外，土拱的形状在桩净间距的增长过程中不断演变而不是保持不变。