Effect of infilled materials and arrangements on shear characteristics of stacked soilbags

Abstract

The shear characteristics of stacked soilbags are related to their interlayer arrangements and the properties of the materials with which the bags (geosynthetics) are filled. To study the effects of those factors on the shear strength and failure mode of stacked soilbags, a series of shear tests were conducted. The results show that although the shear failure surface occurred at the horizontal interface between soilbags when they were stacked vertically, it was ladder-like when the soilbags were stacked in a staggered manner. The angle of insertion was found to govern the shape of the shear failure surface and, thus, the final shear strength of soilbags stacked in a staggered manner. Two shear failure modes of the stacked soilbags were observed with different infilled materials. When the frictional resistance of the contact interface was smaller than the shear strength of the materials with which the bags was filled, only interlayer sliding failure occurred. Otherwise, the simple shear failure of materials filling the bags occurred first, followed by interlayer sliding failure.