Mitigating Dry Shrinkage Pavement Cracking by Geocell

Dry shrinkage cracking in pavements is currently one of the most outstanding geotechnical problems in southern plain states such as Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana. Many studies have been conducted and technical solutions have been developed in recent years to try to understand and mitigate the dry shrinkage cracking problem. However, the effectiveness of these solution often depends on the soil type, pavement structure, and environmental conditions. This project explores an innovative approach to mitigate the dry shrinkage cracking problem in pavements using a three-dimensional geosynthetic product named geocell. In addition to reducing soil shrinkage, the new approach aims to direct the soil shrinkage to form a network of smaller cracks which are less likely to propagate through the pavement layer than larger continuous cracks. The outcome of the research will potentially bring significant impact to both regional transportation agencies and other parts of the world with similar soil conditions.