Faculty Publications
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Item Numerical Analysis of Geocell Retaining Wall for Slope Stabilization of Netravathi River Bank(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2025) Anjana, S.; Menon, V.; Kolathayar, S.Stability of slopes is a major concern when it comes to construction near hills, excavations, embankments and river banks. Geosynthetics and geotextiles have proven to be extremely efficient in slope stabilization and landslide protection, among which the use of geocells has been drastically increasing. It is made up of geogrid like materials that give it sufficient tensile strength. This paper focuses on the use of geocells to construct a retaining wall to support an existing backfill. The study area is located at a Netravathi River bank which belongs to a temple in South Mangalore city. The aim of the work is to prevent flooding of the temple during heavy rainfall and the erosion of banks. Numerical analyses have been carried out by Limit Equilibrium Method (LEM) using GEO5 software and Finite Element Method (FEM) using PLAXIS 2D software. The results of displacements and factor of safeties have been compared for both methods to determine if the proposed structure is stable. Geocell retaining wall has been developed in PLAXIS 2D using a soil geocell equivalent composite model due to the difficulties of modelling its actual honeycomb like structure. The structure gives sufficient safety for static as well as pseudo static condition for different water levels hence preventing further erosion of existing soil. The design provided for the present work gives a factor of safety of 1.69 in LEM analysis and 1.90 in FEM analysis for the rapid drawdown condition in a psuedo dynamic analysis. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2025.Item Comparative Study for Performance of Soil Bed Reinforced with Jute and Sisal Geocells as Alternatives to HDPE Geocells(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2020) Kolathayar, S.; Sowmya, S.; Priyanka, E.This paper presents the performance of soil bed reinforced with jute and sisal geocells compared to HDPE geocells. The bearing pressure–settlement behaviour of the soil bed reinforced with natural geocells, soil bed reinforced with HDPE geocells and of unreinforced soil bed are discussed. The soil bed reinforced with jute cell and sisal cell showed a uniform increase in the settlement with increase in the applied pressure. The soil reinforced with HDPE geocell, however, showed a sudden rise in the settlement at higher pressure. Sisal mat used for developing the geocell was found to have greater tensile strength, followed by jute mat over HDPE material. Soil reinforced with sisal cells could bear larger stresses at lower strain compared to HDPE geocell. Analytical studies on jute and sisal geocells also were carried out considering the load transfer mechanism of geocell-reinforced soil. © 2020, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.Item Model Footing Tests and Analytical Studies on Clayey Soil Bed Reinforced with Coconut Shell Mat(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2022) Kolathayar, S.; Gadekari, R.S.The cellular confinement systems are becoming popular in ground improvement because of their efficiency in improving the bearing capacity of soil due to the lateral confinement effect. The commercially available geocells are made from polymer materials and they are costly. This study presents the performance evaluation of coconut shell mat as a cellular confinement system in clayey soil. It is the first of its kind application of coconut shells for soil reinforcement through a lateral confinement mechanism. This soil reinforcement system using coconut shells is termed “Geococoshell” by the authors. A series of model plate load tests were conducted on unreinforced soil, soil reinforced with High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) geocells, and soil reinforced with coconut shell mats to evaluate the performance of coconut shell mat reinforced soil bed. The results of the experiments showed that coconut shells reinforced clayey soil improved bearing capacity up to 1.5 times compared to HDPE geocell reinforced clayey bed. The effect of different patterns of placing coconut shell mat was also studied and discussed in the paper. The analytical studies have been conducted considering the reinforcement mechanisms of coconut shell mat embedded in the soil bed. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.Item Slope Stability Analyses and Design for a Telecommunication Tower Site in Kodagu—Limit Equilibrium and Finite Element Approach with Spatial Data Integration(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2025) Menon, V.; Anjana, S.; Kolathayar, S.This paper examines slope stability issues at the All-India Radio Telecommunication tower site in Kodagu, Coorg, Karnataka, India, where the hillock on which the tower stands has shown signs of instability after the monsoon of 2022. This study proposes reclamation strategies to mitigate future landslips in the region. A spatial analysis utilizing open-source Digital Elevation Models and Scoop3D software was performed to identify critical locations prone to landslips. The designs were assessed using the Limit Equilibrium method (LEM) and Finite Element method (FEM). Both static and pseudo-static conditions were considered in the analyses, with and without reinforcement, using the Limit Equilibrium Method and Finite Element Method. The proposed design aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 9 and 11, demonstrating a significant increase in the Factor of Safety by more than 10%. The study recommends a geocell-based hybrid retaining system as a comprehensive solution to enhance slope stability and protect the site from future landslips. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.Item Analysis and Design of a Hybrid Reinforced Earth Retention System for Sustainable Slope Protection: A Case Study Using Limit Equilibrium and Finite Element Methods(Springer, 2025) Menon, V.; Kolathayar, S.This study proposes an innovative hybrid earth retention system to stabilize slopes for a road-widening project in Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka, India. The system combines soil nailing, geogrid reinforcement, geocell walls, and biotechnical stabilization—popular geotechnical techniques aligned with sustainable development goals. These methods were engineered synergistically to address the site-specific challenges of restoring a slope that experienced five major collapses during heavy rains, enabling both highway expansion and slope protection without disrupting traffic flow. Soil samples were collected, and laboratory tests were conducted to evaluate the engineering properties of the site soil. Boreholes were drilled at strategic locations and Standard Penetration Tests were performed. The analysis and design of the retention system employed both the Limit Equilibrium Method (LEM) and the Finite Element Method (FEM), utilizing GEO5 and OptumG2 software, respectively. A comparative analysis of these methods is presented, along with a non-linear regression model to establish correlations for soil nail parameters derived from LEM analyses. The study demonstrates the successful integration of geocell walls with soil nailing and geogrid reinforcement to support an unprotected embankment. The findings include the site reconnaissance report, reclamation strategies, and a detailed discussion of LEM and FEM analysis results, establishing the robustness and sustainability of the proposed hybrid retention system. © The Institution of Engineers (India) 2025.Item Performance Evaluation of Jute Geocell-Reinforced Sand Subgrade with an Integrated Wooden Anchor Grid(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2025) Kumar, P.; Kumar, D.H.; Bandyopadhyay, T.S.; Raveendran, D.; Kolathayar, S.; Mulangi, R.H.The efficient confinement capabilities of geocells make them a popular reinforcement technique for improving soil stability and load-bearing capacity. However, the high costs of synthetic geocells and environmental concerns have driven interest in more sustainable and natural alternatives. This study presents a novel approach to subgrade reinforcement using a jute geocell (JG) made from jute fabric, further improved with a wooden anchor grid (WAG). The newly developed jute geocell with wooden anchor grid (JGWAG) consists of a natural wooden grid integrated with anchor pins placed at the center of each JG pocket, aiming to enhance load-bearing capacity. The effectiveness of this innovative reinforcement system was evaluated through static plate load tests on sand subgrade reinforced with JG mattresses of varying widths (1.33D, 2D, and 3.33D, where D is the loading plate diameter) and a WAG placed beneath the 2D-width geocell. The results demonstrated significant performance enhancements: load-bearing capacity increased by 41%, 83.8%, and 116% for 1.33D, 2D, and 3.33D, respectively, compared to unreinforced subgrade. Notably, adding WAG under the 2D-width geocell achieved a remarkable 186% improvement over the unreinforced case. Settlement reduction was also significant, with the JGWAG system decreasing settlement by 84.6% as compared to the unreinforced case, showcasing its superior effectiveness. This system improves load-bearing performance and provides a cost-effective solution by reducing the width of JG. Furthermore, the surface roughness of the JG was analyzed using a 3D surface profilometer, ensuring optimal contact and friction between the soil and reinforcement for improved load transfer. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.