Evaluation of interface shear behavior of GFRP soil nails with a strain-transfer model and distributed fiber-optic sensors

Abstract

A glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) material is a newly developed material for slope reinforcement. In this study, distributed optical fiber sensors are developed to characterize the interface shear stress–strain behavior in GFRP soil nails with a strain-transfer model. The GFRP bar with a diameter of 40 mm was used as a reinforcing element in a soil slope subjected to excavations. A newly distributed fiber optic sensors are developed to measure the axial strains of the GFRP reinforcement which was then inserted into a drilled hole together with pressure grouting. The calibration of distributed fiber optic sensors indicated that the strains along the GFRP bar can be accurately measured by the distributed sensors. An analytical strain-transfer model is developed and then verified with a finite element model. The comparisons indicate that the strain-transfer model could be able to obtain the shear strain and stress at the cement grout–soil interface from arbitrary strain of the GFRP bar. Finally, a field project study is conducted for the condition assessment of a GFRP soil nail with the interface shear stress at different excavation depths. The potential failure surface is identified at the position where the maximum shear stress occurs, that is, at the point around 4.5 m away from the soil nail head. Results in terms of the shear stress are able to detect the active and passive zones of the soil nail. A further analysis indicates that the health condition of the GFRP soil nail can be determined with the distributed fiber sensors and strain-transfer model.