Evaluation of effect of backfill particle size on installation damage reduction factors for geogrids

ABSTRACT: The reduction factors used to account for the impact of installation damage on the tensile strength of geogrids employed in mechanically stabilised earth (MSE) walls and reinforced embankments are usually obtained from field tests that simulate actual construction conditions. Although costly and time-consuming, site-specific field tests incorporate the damage mechanisms that may occur in geogrid reinforcements during installation. Several studies have developed empirical relationships for these reduction factors for use in design calculations, typically considering the effects of construction methods and the backfill soil gradation on the damage of geogrids having a given polymer type, manufacturing method, and weight per unit area. One of the issues with these relationships is how to quantify the backfill soil gradation in the empirical relationships. In this study, a series of field test sections were constructed using geogrids with two polymer types and a range of different weights per unit a...