Abstract
This paper presents an experimental study on the pullout resistance of a newly improved reinforcement. The applied reinforcement was a smooth steel strip reinforcement with transverse members used to improve the pullout-resistance problems of the smooth steel strip reinforcement. The pullout and bearing resistance of the improved reinforcement were evaluated using results of large-scale pullout tests. The evaluation result confirmed that the bearing resistance of the improved reinforcement was about 33–66% of the total pullout resistance, and it had an evenly distributed friction and bearing resistance. The bearing bond coefficient, considering the interference effect, gradually converged when normal stress was higher than a certain value. This result confirmed that the increment of interference effect is caused by the increment of the transverse member and normal stress. In the pullout-resistance evaluation of the improved reinforcement, a number of transverse members can be predicted using the relationship between bearing-resistance stress and the bearing bond coefficient due to normal stress, which can be applied as a reasonable prediction method.
Highlights
This study presented the pullout test results of a reinforcement that improved existing steel reinforcements on the basis of one resistance mechanism in the most pullout resistance
The bearing-resistance effect of the total pullout resistance was not related to the effective length of reinforcement in the resistance zone because the installed quantity of the transverse member is decided by soil conditions
Total pullout resistance of the improved reinforcement should be evaluated with friction resistance on the basis of effective length due to longitudinal members and bearing resistance due to transverse members, respectively
Summary
Various reinforcements have been developed and applied since the introduction of the reinforced earth wall consisting of inextensible and extensible reinforcements according to material characteristics. Inextensible reinforcement includes smooth steel strip and ribbed steel strip types and welded steel grids. Extensible reinforcements include geogrid, geotextile, and geosynthetic strip types. In these reinforcements, pullout resistance is very important as an evaluation factor for the stability of the reinforced earth wall. The pullout resistance of reinforcements can be classified into two resistance characteristics; that is, total pullout resistance can be explained as the summation of friction resistance due to longitudinal members and bearing resistance due to transverse members [8]. Friction-resistance reinforcements include smooth steel strips and geotextile and geosynthetic strips. Reinforcements in which friction resistance is synchronized with bearing resistance are the ribbed steel strip, welded steel grid, and geogrid types
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