Measuring the Swelling Pressure and Heave of Expansive Soil Reinforced by Granular Pile Anchor Foundations

Granular Pile Anchor (GPA) is one of the techniques used to overcome the geotechnical issues related to the volume change of the expansive soil. This study presents a technique that can be used to evaluate the performance of GPA in reducing the swelling pressure of expansive soil without applying any external uplift force. Finite element modelling was used to model the components of GPA and the surrounding expansive soil bed. The results were validated by conducting experimental tests in which the soil properties were similar to those considered for the numerical modelling. According to the findings, the outcomes from the physical and numerical models demonstrated a high level of agreement. It was concluded that the proposed technique is a reliable way to measure the heave and uplift pressure of the expansive soil as it depends on the volume change behaviour of the expansive soil itself without the need for applying equivalent external uplift force.