ABSTRACT
Four laboratory models filled with aggregates with fractions 0–32 mm were prepared in a special laboratory box with dimensions of 1000 x 1000 x 600 mm. Three models were fitted with a geogrid, which, together with the aggregates, formed a mechanically stabilized layer (MSL), 100, 150 and 200 mm in thickness, while one model, without a geogrid, served as a reference model. A new-generation – multiaxial – geogrid was used for the experiments. The models were loaded with a static force of up to 100 kN with the aim of finding out the differences in the magnitude of lateral pressures acting on the laboratory box wall. The experiments revealed principal reductions in the horizontal pressures in the mechanically stabilized layer compared to non-stabilized aggregates. The greatest reductions were recorded at the geogrid level, nevertheless, a significant reduction in horizontal pressures is manifested throughout the entire MSL. The intensity of the aggregate confinement in the geogrid is related to the reduction in horizontal pressures and quantified as a parameter enabling the evaluation of the efficiency of mechanical stabilization of aggregates by geogrids – the Confinement Efficiency Factor (CEF).
