Experimental studies of the interfacial shear mechanical behaviour of geosynthetics-soil

At present, limited researches had been performed on comparison of shear mechanical behaviour between geogrid or geocell and soil. In current research, direct shear tests (DST) were performed on the geogrid and geocell to investigate the impact of the friction characteristics and differences of the geogrid and geocell. Results showed that the geogrid and geocell can improve interfacial shear strength characteristics. The reinforcement effect of the geocell was better than that of geogrid, especially under higher vertical stress. The performance of geocell with 260 mm in distance of junctions was better than that of the 440 mm. The performance of geocell with 150 mm in strip height was better than that of the 100 mm. Additionally, in current studies, the contribution of geocell height to the soil strength was greater than the junction distance. The experimental results may provide an idea for application of geocell reinforced mass structures.