Journal of Central South University

, Volume 24, Issue 9, pp 2121–2133 | Cite as

Visualization of pullout behaviour of geogrid in sand with emphasis on size effect of protrusive junctions

  • Chen-xi Miao (苗晨曦)
  • Jun-jie Zheng (郑俊杰)
  • Rong-jun Zhang (章荣军)
  • Ming-xing Xie (谢明星)
  • Jian-hua Yin (殷建华)
Article
First Online:
Received:
Accepted:
  • 50 Downloads

Abstract

Geogrid has been extensively used in geotechnical engineering practice due to its effectiveness and economy. Deep insight into the interaction between the backfill soil and the geogrid is of great importance for proper design and construction of geogrid reinforced earth structures. Based on the calibrated model of sand and geogrid, a series of numerical pullout tests are conducted using PFC3D under special considerations of particle angularity and aperture geometry of the geogrid. In this work, interface characteristics regarding the displacement and contact force developed among particles and the deformation and force distribution along the geogrid are all visualized with PFC3D simulations so that new understanding on how geogrid-soil interaction develops under pullout loads can be obtained. Meanwhile, a new variable named fabric anisotropy coefficient is introduced to evaluate the inherent relationship between macroscopic strength and microscopic fabric anisotropy. A correlation analysis is adopted to compare the accuracy between the newly-proposed coefficient and the most commonly used one. Furthermore, additional pullout tests on geogrid with four different joint protrusion heights have been conducted to investigate what extent and how vertical reinforcement elements may result in reinforcement effects from perspectives of bearing resistance contribution, energy dissipation, as well as volumetric response. Numerical results show that both the magnitude and the directional variation of normal contact forces govern the development of macroscopic strength and the reinforcing effects of joint protrusion height can be attributed to the accelerated energy dissipation across the particle assembly and the intensive mobilization of the geogrid.

Key words

geogrid pullout behaviour discrete element method (DEM) joint protrusion fabric anisotropy energy dissipation 
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. [1]
    ZHANG J, ZHENG J J, CHEN B G, YIN J H. Coupled mechanical and hydraulic modeling of a geosynthetic-reinforced and pilesupported embankment [J]. Computers and Geotechnics, 2013, 52: 28–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  2. [2]
    YANG G, LIU H, LV P, ZHANG B. Geogrid-reinforced lime-treated cohesive soil retaining wall: Case study and implications [J]. Geotextiles and Geomembranes, 2012, 35: 112–118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  3. [3]
    HEERTEN G. Reduction of climate-damaging gases in geotechnical engineering practice using geosynthetics [J]. Geotextiles and Geomembranes, 2012, 30: 43–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  4. [4]
    BHANDARI A, HAN J. Investigation of geotextile–soil interaction under a cyclic vertical load using the discrete element method [J]. Geotextiles and Geomembranes, 2010, 28(1): 33–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  5. [5]
    WANG Z, RICHWIEN W. A study of soil-reinforcement interface friction [J]. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 2002, 128(1): 92–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  6. [6]
    PALMEIRA E M. Soil–geosynthetic interaction: Modelling and analysis [J]. Geotextiles and Geomembranes, 2009, 27(5): 368–390.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  7. [7]
    TEIXEIRA S H, BUENO B S, ZORNBERG J G. Pullout resistance of individual longitudinal and transverse geogrid ribs [J]. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 2007, 133(1): 37–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  8. [8]
    SHINODA M, BATHURST R J. Lateral and axial deformation of PP, HDPE and PET geogrids under tensile load [J]. Geotextiles and Geomembranes, 2004, 22(4): 205–222.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  9. [9]
    PALMEIRA E M. Bearing force mobilisation in pull-out tests on geogrids [J]. Geotextiles and Geomembranes, 2004, 22(6): 481–509.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  10. [10]
    MCDOWELL G, HARIRECHE O, KONIETZKY H, BROWN S, THOM N. Discrete element modelling of geogrid-reinforced aggregates [J]. Proceedings of the ICE-Geotechnical Engineering, 2006, 159(1): 35–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  11. [11]
    KHEDKAR M, MANDAL J. Pullout behaviour of cellular reinforcements [J]. Geotextiles and Geomembranes, 2009, 27(4): 262–271.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  12. [12]
    SUGIMOTO M, ALAGIYAWANNA A. Pullout behavior of geogrid by test and numerical analysis [J]. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 2003, 129(4): 361–371.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  13. [13]
    CUNDALL P A, STRACK O D. A discrete numerical model for granular assemblies [J]. Geotechnique, 1979, 29(1): 47–65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  14. [14]
    TRAN V D H, MEGUID M A, CHOUINARD L E. A finite–discrete element framework for the 3D modeling of geogrid–soil interaction under pullout loading conditions [J]. Geotextiles and Geomembranes, 2013, 37: 1–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  15. [15]
    WANG Z, JACOBS F, ZIEGLER M. Visualization of load transfer behaviour between geogrid and sand using PFC2D [J]. Geotextiles and Geomembranes, 2014, 42(2): 83–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  16. [16]
    TONG L, WANG Y H. DEM simulations of shear modulus and damping ratio of sand with emphasis on the effects of particle number, particle shape, and aging [J]. Acta Geotechnica, 2014, 10(1): 117–130.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  17. [17]
    NGO N T, INDRARATNA B, RUJIKIATKAMJORN C. DEM simulation of the behaviour of geogrid stabilised ballast fouled with coal [J]. Computers and Geotechnics, 2014, 55: 224–231.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  18. [18]
    CHEN C, MCDOWELL G R, THOM N H. Discrete element modelling of cyclic loads of geogrid-reinforced ballast under confined and unconfined conditions [J]. Geotextiles and Geomembranes, 2012, 35: 76–86.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  19. [19]
    ZHANG M X, ZHOU H, JAVADI A A, WANG Z W. Experimental and theoretical investigation of strength of soil reinforced with multi-layer horizontal–vertical orthogonal elements [J]. Geotextiles and Geomembranes. 2008, 26(1): 1–13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  20. [20]
    ZHANG M X, JAVADI A, MIN X. Triaxial tests of sand reinforced with 3D inclusions [J]. Geotextiles and Geomembranes, 2006, 24(4): 201–209.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  21. [21]
    MIAO Chen-xi, ZHENG Jun-jie, CUI Ming-juan, XIE Ming-xing, ZHAO Jian-bin. Study of influence of joint protuberance on geogrid reinforcement performance by discrete element method [J]. Rock and Soil Mechanics, 2014, 35(4): 1181–1186. (in Chinese)Google Scholar
  22. [22]
    ZHOU Jian, JIAN Qi-wei, ZHANG Jiao, GUO Jian-jun. Coupled 3D discrete-continuum numerical modeling of pile penetration in sand [J]. Journal of Zhejiang University: Science A, 2012, 13(1): 44–55.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  23. [23]
    ZHENG Jun-jie, MIAO Chen-xi, XIE Ming-xing, ZHANG Jun. Interface properties and influence of particle size on geogrid reinforcement performance by DEM [J]. Chinese Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, 2013, 35(8): 1423–1428. (in Chinese)Google Scholar
  24. [24]
    LU M, MCDOWELL G R. The importance of modelling ballast particle shape in the discrete element method [J]. Granular Matter, 2006, 9(1, 2): 69–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  25. [25]
    YAN W M. Fabric evolution in a numerical direct shear test [J]. Computers and Geotechnics, 2009, 36(4): 597–603.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  26. [26]
    STAHL M, KONIETZKY H, TE KAMP L, JAS H. Discrete element simulation of geogrid-stabilised soil [J]. Acta Geotechnica, 2013, 9(6): 1073–1084.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  27. [27]
    SIEIRA A C C F, GERSCOVICH D M S, SAYÃO A S F J. Displacement and load transfer mechanisms of geogrids under pullout condition [J]. Geotextiles and Geomembranes, 2009, 27(4): 241–253.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  28. [28]
    SHI Dan-da, ZHOU Jian, LIU Wen-bai, DENG Yi-bing. Exploring macro-and micro-scale responses of sand in direct shear tests by numerical simulations using non-circular particles [J]. Chinese Journal of Geotechnical Engineering, 2010, 32(10): 1557–1565. (in Chinese)Google Scholar
  29. [29]
    DYER M. Observation of the stress distribution in crushed glass with applications to soil reinforcement [D]. Oxford: University of Oxford, 1985.Google Scholar
  30. [30]
    BATHURST R J, ROTHENBURG L. Observations on stress-force-fabric relationships in idealized granular materials [J]. Mechanics of Materials, 1990, 9(1): 65–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  31. [31]
    ROTHENBURG L, BATHURST R J. Analytical study of induced anisotropy in idealized granular materials [J]. Geotechnique, 1989, 39(4): 601–614.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  32. [32]
    LAI H J, ZHENG J J, ZHANG J, ZHANG R J, CUI L. DEM analysis of “soil”-arching within geogrid-reinforced and unreinforced pile-supported embankments [J]. Computers and Geotechnics, 2014, 61(9): 13–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  33. [33]
    SUKSIRIPATTANAPONG C, HORPIBULSUK S, CHINKULKIJNIWAT A, CHAI J C. Pullout resistance of bearing reinforcement embedded in coarse-grained soils [J]. Geotextiles and Geomembranes, 2013, 36: 44–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  34. [34]
    Itasca. Particle flow code in three dimensions (PFC3D) [M]. Minnesota: Itasca Consulting Group Inc, 2008.Google Scholar
  35. [35]
    WANG J F, YAN H B. DEM analysis of energy dissipation in crushable soils [J]. Soils and Foundations, 2012, 52(4): 644–657.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  36. [36]
    ZHANG W C, WANG J F, JIANG M J. DEM-aided discovery of the relationship between energy dissipation and shear band formation considering the effects of particle rolling resistance [J]. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 2013, 139(9): 1512–1527.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  37. [37]
    INDRARATNA B, NGO N T, RUJIKIATKAMJORN C. Behavior of geogrid-reinforced ballast under various levels of fouling [J]. Geotextiles and Geomembranes, 2011, 29(3): 313–322.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  38. [38]
    INDRARATNA B, NGO N T, RUJIKIATKAMJORN C, VINOD J S. Behavior of fresh and fouled railway ballast subjected to direct shear testing: Discrete element simulation [J]. International Journal of Geomechanics, 2014, 14(1): 34–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© Central South University Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany 2017

Authors and Affiliations

  • Chen-xi Miao (苗晨曦)
    • 1
  • Jun-jie Zheng (郑俊杰)
    • 1
  • Rong-jun Zhang (章荣军)
    • 1
  • Ming-xing Xie (谢明星)
    • 1
  • Jian-hua Yin (殷建华)
    • 2
  1. 1.Institute of Geotechnical and Underground EngineeringHuazhong University of Science and TechnologyWuhanChina
  2. 2.Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringThe Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityHung Hom, Kowloon, Hong KongChina

Personalised recommendations