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Mesoscopic pullout behavior of geosynthetics–sand–clay layered reinforced structures using discrete element method

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Abstract

The geosynthetics–sand–clay layered reinforced (GSCLR) structure has wide application prospects due to its massive adoption of the clay. To date, the coordination between the geosynthetics, sand, and clay is not thorough enough. In light of this, a series of discrete element method models were established for the pullout behavior of a GSCLR structure. The mesoscopic parameters such as the displacement vector, the contact force chain, and the local porosity were analyzed, and the mechanism for the load transfer between the geogrid, sand layer, and clay layer was examined. The thickness and porosity of the sand layer were also considered as the variables. The effects of the various factors on the strength index of the geogrid–sand interface were analyzed. The results showed obvious differences in the movement trend and mesoscopic parameters changes of the sand and clay layer in different regions. The thickness of the shear bands generated in the sand layer was affected by the upper and lower clay layers. At the same pullout displacement, the ultimate pullout resistance of the GSCLR structure did not enlarge continuously with an increase in the thickness of the sand layer, and there was an optimal thickness of the sand layer.

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (Grant numbers 52008285, 52178341, and 51809191), the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province, China (Grant number 2021A1515011682). The authors would like to acknowledge the financial supports.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Civil Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan, 030024, China

    Mingxing Xie & Xiaoqiang Dong

  2. Institute of Geotechnical and Underground Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Junjie Zheng & Tao Yang

  3. Central Research Institute of Building and Construction (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., MCC Group, Shenzhen, 518055, China

    Wenzhao Cao

  4. State Key Laboratory of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China

    Lan Cui

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  1. Mingxing Xie
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  2. Junjie Zheng
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  3. Wenzhao Cao
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  4. Xiaoqiang Dong
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  5. Tao Yang
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Correspondence to Xiaoqiang Dong.

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Xie, M., Zheng, J., Cao, W. et al. Mesoscopic pullout behavior of geosynthetics–sand–clay layered reinforced structures using discrete element method. Acta Geotech. 17, 2533–2552 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-021-01422-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11440-021-01422-3

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