Performance of jute geocell reinforced pavement bases with sustainable infill materials under cyclic loading

Weak subgrades create persistent challenges in road construction, often leading to excessive rutting under repeated traffic loading. Geocells are acknowledged as effective reinforcement and stabilisation methods for pavement structures containing unbound materials. However, most previous studies have focused on synthetic polymer-based geocells, which raise environmental and economic concerns. Consequently, sustainable natural alternatives for pavement reinforcement require further investigation. This study experimentally examines the performance of jute geocell (JG) and combined jute geocell-jute textile mat (JG + JTM) reinforced pavement sections under monotonic and cyclic loading conditions. Plate load tests were conducted on reinforced and unreinforced pavement sections using Wet Mix Macadam (WMM), Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) and Laterite Quarry Waste (LQW) as infill materials. Monotonic loading tests determined the optimum JG placement depth within the base layer, while cyclic loading tests evaluated pavement performance. The traffic benefit ratio values for JG-reinforced sections ranged from 2.0–3.1 for WMM, 1.8–5.0 for CDW and 1.8–2.3 for LQW. The inclusion of JTM further enhanced pavement performance, with combined JG + JTM sections achieving RDR values of 67.69%, 64.41% and 67.44% for WMM, CDW and LQW, respectively. CDW performed comparably to conventional WMM in reinforced pavement sections, indicating its potential as a sustainable alternative infill material.