Numerical analysis of tensile behavior of geogrids with rectangular and triangular apertures

Abstract Geogrids, made of polymeric materials, have been used as a construction material for many applications, such as walls, slopes, roads, building foundations, etc. In the past, geogrids were manufactured with apertures in a rectangular or square shape. Recently, geogrids with a triangular aperture shape have been introduced into the market. The new geogrids are manufactured with ribs oriented in three equilateral directions and expected to have a more stable grid structure, which can provide more uniform resistance in all directions. In this study, the numerical software – FLAC was adopted to investigate the responses of geogrids with rectangular and triangular apertures when subjected to a uniaxial tensile load at different directions relative to the orientations of ribs in air. The geogrid ribs were modeled using beam elements jointed rigidly at nodes (i.e., the angle between two adjacent ribs did not change) and subjected to tension in one direction. The numerical results showed that the stress–strain responses of the geogrids were different at different loading directions relative to the orientations of ribs. The effects of aperture shape of geogrid, and elastic modulus and cross-section area of geogrid ribs on the tensile stiffness of the geogrid were also evaluated. The geogrid with triangular apertures had more uniform tensile stiffness and strength distributions than the geogrid with rectangular apertures. An increase of the elastic modulus and cross-section area of the geogrid ribs could increase the stiffness of the geogrid with triangular apertures. The numerical results were verified by experimental data for geogrids with rectangular and triangular apertures.