Experimental analysis on the stress and strain of geotextile tubes during filling and dewatering of dredged soil

In general, it is very important to calculate the stresses and strain of geotextile tubes during filling and dewatering of dredged soil. Generally, the tension force is calculated by stress equilibrium, considering the angle between the tangent along a cross sectional element of the tube and the horizontal. However, a design concept on the stress and deformation of geotextile tubes during filling and dewatering has not been well established, considering that the fill material state changes from liquid with zero shear to solid with shear strength. In this study, the scale model test (SMT) and half-cross section test (HCST) were conducted to quantitatively measure the soil pressure, circumferential force, and strain of the tube structure. The measured data obtained from the tests were analyzed and relationships between the circum-ferential tension force (T), coefficient of earth pressure (K), vertical bottom pressure (Pbot) were estab-lished. With the relationships obtained from the tests, a more economical and reliable design of geotextile tube structures can be achieved, increasing the confidence of engineers in using such technology.