Pullout Behavior of Geogrid by Test and Numerical Analysis

This paper presents a study of geogrid pullout behavior in laboratory pullout tests and finite element modeling of the laboratory pullout tests. The pullout tests and the finite element method (FEM) analyses were carried out on two geogrid types with different stiffness values in dense sand under different overburden pressures. The pullout test results show that the geogrid behavior can be categorized into three types based on the bond stress distributions. The FEM results show reasonable agreement not only with the pullout force against the geogrid displacement, but also with the distributions of geogrid displacements, strains, tensile forces, and bond stresses along the geogrid length during deformation. This research demonstrates that the deformation characteristics of geogrids play an important role in the pullout tests while the interface properties play a significant role in the FEM simulations of geogrid pullout behavior. A method to obtain suitable interface parameters for designing of actual reinforced structures from the laboratory pullout tests is provided.