Soil arching and membrane effect often occur simultaneously in geosynthetic-reinforced structures subjected to localized sinkholes. An analytical model is proposed to estimate the force and deformation characteristics of soil and geosynthetic. This model couples the arching effect occurred in overlying soil and the membrane effect of deflected geosynthetic. During subsidence, the upper interface friction between soil and geosynthetic is considered and the deformation of soil agrees with one-dimensional compression model. The forces and deformations of soil and geosynthetic after subsidence can be determined by considering the soil-geosynthetic interaction in subsided and anchorage areas. The maximum geosynthetic strain and the maximum surface settlement, served as key design points, can be obtained. The effects of supporting soil on soil arching and membrane effect are analyzed based on the proposed model. The results show that ignoring the supporting soil in subsided area leads to obvious undervaluation of arching effect and membrane effect, and the force-deformation relationship of supporting soil is of importance for rational design of geosynthetic-reinforced structures.
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