Research on the interface properties of geogrid with different mesh sizes

Abstract

Due to its special mesh structure, geogrid can be embedded in the surrounding soil so effectively that the effects of reinforcement are comparatively better the other geotechnical composite materials. Geogrid has been adopted more and more widely in steep embankment reinforcement engineering. In practical engineering, the design of a reinforced body of soil with geogrid is usually based on Finite Elemental Method (FEM) numerical methods and calculation is carried out as a two-dimensional plane strain problem. This simplifies the geogrid with mesh structure into a single strip. The plausibility of calculating the strength indexes of the interface through interface parameters without considering the influence of the mesh size of the geogrid on the features of the interface should be studied. The current research on the interface properties of geogrid with different mesh sizes does not examine this issue thoroughly. By using large-sized shear experiments and FEM numerical methods, this paper studies the influences of the mesh size of geogrid on interface properties. The influence of mesh size on the features of the interface with geogrid can be displayed directly and quantitatively. This shows that larger mesh sizes result in higher strength indexes of the interface and a clearer reinforcement effect. The corresponding requirements of the geogrid material also increase; otherwise, the tensile strength would not be satisfied. The research results provide effective guarantees for the construction and operation of steep embankment reinforcement engineering, which is meaningful for safety engineering.