A study on thin cementitious composite (TCC) materials for soil reinforcement applications

This paper highlights some experimental results on the performance behavior of TCC elements under shear tests in soil. It is demonstrated that using small stone and making small channels on the surface of TCC element enhances frictional resistance of TCC in soil. This leads to significant improvements of their structural performance as compared to conventional materials in reinforced soil structures. The angle of friction increases by 1.66, 14.81, 21.57 and 23.78%, and the cohesion increases by 29.15, 69.30, 104.05, 132.04% for TCC containing stone, 2, 4 and 6 channels, respectively. Test results of TCC elements are evaluated with other conventional reinforcements such as geogrid, geosynthetics and wire meshes. It is revealed that the TCC elements can be used as a unique reinforcing material for soil reinforcement applications.