An Experimental Approach of the Design of Geotextile-Reinforced Embankments Prone to Sinkholes

The design of geosynthetic-reinforced embankments overlying sinkholes remains problematic due to complex and combined mechanisms such as the load transfers within the embankment, the bending effect of the geosynthetic over the cavity or the frictional interactions between the soil and the geosynthetic. For a better understanding of such mechanisms, three full-scale experimentations were lead, and their results were compared to the results of the most recent analytical method. In the end, these comparisons enabled to underline some lacks in the analytical hypothesis, as the vertical load on the reinforcement due to arching effect in a granular layer or breaking mechanisms for a cohesive soil layer.