Analytical solutions for temperature-dependent bearing capacity of rigid pavements on reinforced unsaturated soil embankments

Abstract

Numerous reinforced embankments in unsaturated soils are increasingly exposed to high temperatures due to more frequent extreme events. The coupled effects of temperature and matric suction on the bearing capacity of rigid pavements constructed on such embankments can be significant. However, previous analytical solutions have often neglected temperature, compromising pavement resilience. This study presents a new method for assessing the bearing capacity of rigid pavements on reinforced unsaturated soil embankments under varying temperatures. The upper bound solution for bearing capacity is extended to account for thermal-hydraulic-mechanical coupling by incorporating Bishop's stress, a temperature-dependent soil-water retention curve, and a steady-state matric suction profile into the calculation of internal power among soil blocks. The effects of reinforcement are considered by confining lateral soil deformation at shallow embedment depths or acting as a rigid boundary at greater depths. The proposed computational framework is verified through comparisons with previous analytical solutions and numerical results. Results indicate that, under unsaturated steady-state flow, temperature significantly influences the additional cohesion provided by matric suction and effective saturation, resulting in greater temperature sensitivity of bearing capacity. For silt embankments under evaporation conditions, the bearing capacity decreases by approximately 50% as temperature increases from 10°C to 50°C. The developed framework can effectively quantify the influence of temperature on the bearing capacity of rigid pavements on embankments, offering a valuable reference for engineering design.